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ADIES' iUIDE IN lEALTH AND DISEASE.

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Ladies' Guide

HEHLTH MD DISESSE.

fflirHiood, Jjaidenhood, lifeiiood, iotherhooiL

By J. H. KELLOGG, M. D.,

M«mb«r of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, The Societe d' Hy-
giene of France, The American Public Health Association, The American Society
of Microtcopists, The American Social Science Association, The Michigan
State Medical Association, State Board of Hearth of Michigan, Editor of
"Good Hearth," Author of "The Home Hand- Book of Domestic
Hygiene and Rational Medicine," and Various Other Works.

™» f M")»IN!k^ouiitway

CONDIT & NELSON,

DES MOINES, IOWA.

1886.

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^••Wnoo -v tfouvj 4 9411

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1882, by

J. H. KELLOGG, M. D.,

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.

^HE author of this volume was induced to undertake its
preparation by the belief that there was a real and urgent
demand for such a work, and the hope that the ef-
fort would do something at least toward supplying
that demand. The very remarkable increase in the number and
frequency of that very large class of maladies familiarly known as
" diseases of women " observable in modern times, especially among
the women of the more civilized nations, and those of this country
in particular, has attracted the attention of many intelligent physi-
cians. The ailments from which women suffer constitute a large
part of the practice of the majority of physicians, and probably con-
tribute more to the support of the medical profession than any other
class of maladies. So numerous and complicated has this class of dis-
eases become in recent times, that a new race of specialists has sprung
up, who confine themselves exclusively to this branch of practice ;
and many a fashionable woman has her favorite gynecologist as
well as her favorite milliner or dress-maker, and is as much de-
pendent upon the first to keep her internal arrangements in
proper order as upon the second and third to regulate her head-
gear and garments in accordance with the ruling fashion. We
have no sympathy with that large class who seem to consider
chronic invalidism necessary to gentility ; and it is not the purpose
of this work in any way to increase or exaggerate the tendency in
this direction which is so apparent among American women at the
present time. What we hope to do is in some degree to mitigate
this growing evil by calling attention to the causes out of which it
springs and pointing out the remedy.

The fact to which we have above referred has received many
different interpretations. One author attributes the increasing
physical infirmity of woman to her increasing intellectuality ; an-

!• rn

U PREFACE.

other, to faulty methods of education, particularly the coeducation
of the sexes. Still another, and an eminent authority among gyn
ecologists, suggests that there is a general tendency to deterioration
in this country, observable among animals as well as human be-
ings, and so he attributes the failure in health from special ail-
ments of so large a proportion of the female part of the popula-
tion to the malign influence of some subtle agency native to
the country and wholly beyond the reach of human control. One
of the prime objects of this work is to show that the sufferings of
American women from special diseases above those of other races,
is not due to injurious climatic influences, nor to excessive mental
culture and development; but to a lack of physical culture, defect-
ive home training, sedentary habits of life, too much excitement,
especially during the developing period, and numerous other causes
which may be removed by proper attention on the part of parents,
if the effort is begun at a sufficiently early age.

Believing that the growing delicacy and increasing susceptibil-
ity to disease and lack of endurance so manifest in American wo-
men, is chiefly due to neglects of various sorts arising from ig-
norance of the laws which relate to the proper development and
maintenance in health of the special set of organs characteristic of
the sex, we have deemed it best to present as an introduction to
the more practical portion of the work a concise description of these
organs and their functions. We are well aware that in the minds
of a few the anatomical portion of the work will be considered ob-
jectionable; but this has not deterred us from presenting this part
of the subject in such a manner as we hope will accomplish the de-
sired end, viz., the education of those into whose harids the work
may fall respecting the important functions considered, to such a
degree as to enable them to avoid, if they desire to do so, the pit-
falls into which so large a share of their sisters fall, thereby preserv-
ing and increasing their store of that choicest of all possessions,
GOOD health, and fitting themselves to transmit the same as a
priceless legacy to their children. The old adage, " a little knowl-
edge is a dangerous thing," has done a vast deal of mischief both in
deterring those fitted to impart useful information on these topics
from giving it, and in discouraging those who needed such instruction
from seeking it. We have never yet known a case in which a
woman was injured by scientific information respecting her own

PREFACE. iii

body and its functions. We believe that enlightenment on this and
kindred topics, and on all that relates to the physical, mental, and
moral well-being of woman, is the surest means of correcting some
of the greatest evils which curse the race at the present time, and
which are sapping the very foundations of society.

In order to point out in the clearest manner possible the way of
escape for woman from the thralldom of aches and pains and " weak-
nesses " in which the sex is as a class enslaved, we have endeavored
to trace the outlines of what we conceive to be the method of train-
ing by which a higher type of womanhood may be developed, be-
ginning with "The Little Girl," and considering in succeeding
sections under the respective headings, " The Young Lady," " The
Wife," and " The Mother," the several phases of woman's life.

The remainder of the work is devoted to the practical considera-
tion of the various maladies to which women are subject In this
section it has not been the attempt of the author to furnish a sub-
stitute for the physician, except so far as the physician fails to do
his duty in instructing his patient in relation to the nature, causes,
and rationale of cure of her maladies, information to which every
intelligent woman is entitled. We have, however, endeavored to
make the instruction given so simple and untechnical, and so prac-
tical in character as to enable any woman of ordinary ability to
discover the beginnings of local ailments, and to manage successfully
many of the most common diseases of the sex, and in the absence
of a competent physician, to treat with a fair prospect of success
most of the curable maladies known as " female diseases."

Having for years enjoyed exceptionally good opportunities for the
study of this class of maladies, as physician in charge of one of the
largest Sanitariums in the United States, and with unlimited facili-
ties at command for the treatment of the hundreds of invalid
women who annually visit the institution for treatment for every
variety of disease peculiar to the sex, we feel in some measure
prepared to discriminate with some degree of fairness with refer-
ence to the methods in use by physicians as well as by specialists in
the treatment of this very large class of maladies. We have en-
deavored to select from the great number of remedies and methods
in use, those which have been attended by the highest degree of suo-
in our hands and in the practice of the most successful spe-

iv PREFACE.

cialiflts of this and other countries ; and we are happy to be able
to say to our readers that those methods whioh are the most effi-
cient and the most essential in the treatment of these maladies,
are so simple that by the aid of a few inexpensive appliances and
the exercise of a fair degree of intelligence, they may be managed
by the patient herself with perfect safety, and with success.

We believe that the intelligent and unprejudiced physician will
• welcome this work, and wish it placed in the hands of all his lady
patients, since it will in no degree detract from the confidence
which ought to be reposed in him, if he is worthy of such confi-
dence, but will increase the esteem in which he is held by placing
his patient beyond the reach of quackery, and adding to his success
in severe oases which may have long withstood his best skill, by so
instructing the patient as to enable her to cooperate intelligently
and efficiently in the effort to aid nature in effecting a cure.

• The reader's indulgence is craved for any seeming evidences of
haste in the arrangement or subject matter of the work, since it has
been written amid the distractions and anxieties incident to the care
of a large hospital for chronic invalids and surgical cases, and every
line is the product of time stolen from sleep.

In conclusion, we will add that another circumstance which has
led to the preparation of this volume has been our acquaintance
with the cases of a large number of women whose lives have been
made wretched by the almost endless torture to which they have been
subjected with cauterizations, the wearing of pessaries of every de-
scription,— fearfully and wonderfully made, but of little or no cura-
tive value, if not actually detrimental, — and malpractice at the hands
of ignorant and unprincipled physicians and charlatans, sometimes
too horrible even for description. The sufferings of these unhappy
victims of ignorance and cupidity have often roused within us the
keenest sympathy and the deepest indignation ; and if this work
shall be the means of saving a few from such a life of misery, and
of rescuing even one sufferer from the calamitous fate which has
befallen so many thousands, the writer will feel amply repaid fbr
all the labor and pains-taking effort required in its preparation.

J. H. K.

€S>». ..... ■ .y~~.,

Preface 1

Anatomy and Physiology of Reproduction.

Man the masterpiece — Animated atoms — Study of microscopic life —
The protoooccus — The amoebae — Similarity between plants and
animals — Marvels of minute living forms — Distinguishing
feature of animals and vegetables — The body an aggregation of
living cells.

General Survey of the Body 27

The digestive system — The alimentary canal — The teeth — The sal-
ivary glands — The oesophagus, or meat-pipe — The stomach —
The intestines — The liver — The pancreas — The spleen — The
portal system — The five digestive juices — The elements of food
— The saliva — The gastric juice — The bile — The pancreatic
juice — The intestinal juice — Absorption — Disintegration and
elimination — Assimilation — The motive system — The nervous
system — Brain cells — Nerve fibres.

The Reproductive System 37

The eoosperm — The ovum — The organs of reproduction — The ovary
— The womb, or uterus — The fallopian tubes — The bladder — The
rectum — The perinseum — Blood-supply of the uterus and ovaries
— Nerves of the uterus and ovaries— Supports of the uterus —
Broad ligaments — The pelvis — The sacrum — The coccyx —
The symphysis — Promontory of the sacrum — Differences be-
tween the male and the female pelvis — Proper proportion of
the form in females — Canal of the pelvis — The pelvic canal in
lower animals — Measurements of the pelvis — Curve of the pel-
vic cavity — Pelvis of the guinea-pig — Pelvis of the cow —
Changes in the pelvis prior to childbirth in the human female

vi CONTENTS.

and in lower animals — Other interesting facts about the pelvis
— The breasts, or mammary glands — Lacteal secretion — Mech-
anism of lactation — A curious modification of the mammary
glands in lower animals — Supernumerary mammary glands —
Secretion of milk in virgins— Milk secretion in infants.

Mysteries of Reproduction 56

Ovulation — Viviparous and oviparous animals — Procreation a bud-
ding process — Reproduction in polyps — Curious mode of repro-
duction in the fluke — Ovulation periodic — Ovulation in lower
animals — Menstruation — Menstrual discharge — (Estimation —
Condition of the uterus and ovaries during menstruation —
Relation of menstruation to other functions — Origin of the
menstrual blood — Nature of the menstrual discharge — Influ-
ence of the moon on menstruation — Vicarious menstruation —
Fecundation.

Sex in Plants and Animals 67

Fecundation in lowly forms of life — Male and female elements of
generation — Sex in flowers — Fecundation in flowers — Marvel-
ous mechanism of reproduction in plants — Reproduction in in-
fusoria— Reproduction in the earth-worm, snail, and leech — In-
teresting arrangement for fecundation in the tape-worm — Her-
maphrodite animals — Hermaphrodite flowers — Hermaphrodism
in human beings — Fecundation in fishes — Method of fecunda-
tion in frogs — Fecundation in the human species — Action of
the womb in fecundation — Union of the spermatozoa and ovum
— Nature of fecundation — Relation of fecundation to heredity.

Conception 78

Circumstances favoring conception — When conception is not likely
to occur — Multiple conception*! — Superfecundation — Precocious
conception — Conception in advanced age — Influence of parents
upon offspring in conception — The determining cause of sex
— How to predict and regulate the sex of offspring — The be-
ginning of life — Wonderful rapidity of changes in the ovum
— Significance of " quickening.1'

Gestation, or Pregnancy 86

Care of eggs by fishes — A nursery in a mouth — Singular
form of gestation in the " obstetric toad " — Gestation in
the tree-frog — Gestation in mammalia — Changes in the uterus
after conception — Changes in the nerve centers— Develop-
ment of the ovum during gestation — Segmentation of the

CONTENTS. vii

ovum — The primitive trace — The origin of monsters explained
— The Siamese twins — Resemblance of the human embryo at
different stages to various species of lower animals — How the
digestive organs are formed — The reversed position of the in-
ternal organs — Development of the heart — Development of tbe
arms and legs — Development in lower animals and human
beings compared — Formation of the face — Cause of hare-lip — ■
Causes of congenital deformities — Nourishment of the embryo
— The placenta — Influence of the foetus on the mother — W hj
a woman's children by a second husband resemble the first —
The foetal pulse — Means of determining the sex of an unborn
child — Position and condition of the foetus in the womb— The
amniotic fluid, or " the waters."

Summary of Development 100

Sixe of the embryo — Size of embryo at different periods of pregnancy
— Length of gestation — Gestation in the horse, rabbit, and other
animals — Abbreviated gestation — Prolonged gestation — Quick-
ening— Changes in the system of the mother during gestation —
Why women sometimes enjoy superior health during pregnancy
— The uterine souffle — Preparation of the system for parturitiou
— Extra-uterine pregnancy — Abdominal pregnancy — Tubal
pregnancy — Ovarian pregnancy — Parturition — Expulsion of
the " after-birth " — Involution of the uterus — The lochia—
Changes in the child at birth.

Development of the Body after Birth 112

Relative size of different parts of the body of new-born infants
— Cause of inferior development of the legs in infants- «-
Shedding of the hair in infants — Development of the teeth —
The temporary or milk teeth — The permanent teeth — Ages at
which the different temporary and permanent teeth make their
appearance — Puberty.

THE LITTLE GIRL

Errors in the Early Education of Girls 118

Difference between boys and girls largely the result of education —
The inefficiency of women the result of early perverting influ-
ences— The physical development of the sexes run parallel till
puberty — The influence of fashion very detrimental to little
girls — Early training.

viii CONTENTS.

Education of Girls 122

Education should begin with the earliest dawn of reason — Dam-
aging influence of " baby-talk " — Small children highly im-
itative— The nursery should be a sacred place — The build-
ing of a brain a work of high art — Why women as a class are
dependent — How to encourage normal development — Advan-
tages of the kinder-garten as a means of teaching temperance
and morality — School education of little girls — School life of
children perverted — Damaging effects of wrong methods of in-
struction.

Moral Culture of Children 123

Children should be taught to do right from principle — Senile manners
— Artificial manners in children — Contrast between a real and
an artificial little girl — Responsibility of parents — Juvenile par-
ties— Juvenile flirtations — Natural simplicity of childhood to
be cherished — Hypocrisy in pareuts imitated by children.

Clothing* of Girls 128

Cause of mortality in young children — Why diseases of the throat
and lungs are more frequent among young children than
adults — So-called " mysterious providences " result of inexcusa-
ble neglect — The right of little girls to live — How the body should
be clothed — Directions for making undergarments for little girls
— Dressing to " develop the form " an insult to nature — Ne-
cessity for careful adaptation of children's clothing to the
weather — Night-clothing.

Exercise for Girls 135

The play -room or family-gymnasium — Necessity for out-of-door ex-
ercise— " Model children" usually monstrosities — Early teach
to be useful — Pernicious results of " coddling."

Rest and Sleep 137

Care of children during sleep — Feather-mattresses to be avoided
— Sleeping of children with older people — A popular fallacy.

Diet for Girls 141

Harmful effects of candies and nicknacks — Digestive organs of chil-
dren easily injured — Best diet for children— Damaging effect
of stimulating foods— Pernicious results of eating between
meals — Infant dyspeptics — Regular attention to bowels and
bladder.

CONTENTS. ix

Vicious Habits ' 144

Alarming prevalence of solitary vice— Boarding schools — Effects
of secret vice in girls — A cause of early " break down "—
Signs — Suspicious evidences — How the vice is acquired — Evil
associations — Mothers should be aroused — A human fiend
— Various causes of vice — Bad books— Sentimental literature
dangerous — Sunday-school books not above suspicion — Im-
proper dressing of infants— A few sad examples — A remarka-
ble case — How to cure vicious habits— Appeals from anxious
mothers — A few words to girls.

THE YOUNG LADY.

Puberty 171

The physiological import of puberty — Age at which it oc-
curs—Precocious puberty — Causes of precocious puberty
— Delayed puberty — Influences whicn delay puberty — A pecul-
iar case — Signs of the approach of puberty — Mental and phys-
ical changes — A mental malady incident to puberty — Hygiene
of puberty — Mistaken notions— Sad results of ignorance — Neg-
lect of mothers to impart information — Illustrative cases — A
solemn duty on the part of mothers — Special care necessary at
puberty — Precautions to be observed.

Education of Young Ladies 185

Home training — Mistakes of mothers — Useless accomplishments —
A knowledge of house-keeping essential — School education —
Young ladies' seminaries — u Young girl graduates."

Mental Equality of the Sexes 190

Arguments for the mental inferiority of woman considered — Recent
studies in comparative brain weight — Average size of male
brain — Average size of female brain — Woman's brain propor-
tionately larger than man's — Brain capacity of lower ani-
mals— Great mental capacity sometimes observed in small
brains — Dr. Bastian on brain quality — The brain capacity of
idiots — Mental difference between men and women the result
of education — Fallacious arguments of a popular writer exposed
— Relation of heredity to this question — Female brain in bar-
barous nations — Parisian brains — The supposed mental inferi-

CONTENTS.

ority of woman an argument for better opportunities rather than
the reverse — Comparative mental capacity of Egyptian women
— Coeducation of the sexes — Overstudy at critical periods.

Novel Reading and Dancing 207

Impurity of speech — The immoral dance — Testimony of a dancing
master.

Diet 215

Tea-drinking — Tea and temper — Late suppers, ices, confectionary,
etc. — Too much meat.

Drugs, Stimulants, and Narcotics 221

Dangers from habitual use of drugs — The opium, chloral, liquor,
and tea and coffee habits — Chloralism — Damaging dosing —
Use of cigarettes by women.

Exercise 280

Physical culture among Grecian women — Lack of physical develop-
ment among English and American girls — Frequency of nar-
row backs, flat chests, round shoulders, and scrawny arms —
Deficient muscular development a cause of uterine disease —
How to cure " backache " — Healthfulness of work — Degenera-
tion of unused muscles — How to take exercise — When to
exercise — Best forms of exercise — Skating, rowing, dancing —
Calisthenics — Parlor gymnastics — Necessity for unrestrained
action — Physical training of young women — Cause of round
shoulders and spinal curvatures — Bad positions in sleeping,
sitting, and standing — How to prevent and cure spinal curva-
tures and weak backs — A home-made gymnasium — Light cal-
isthenics for girls— How to develop the chest — Exercises to
straighten the spine and develop the waist.

The Question of Woman's Dress 246

Extravagances of fashionable dress — The slavery of fashion — Natural
requirements for drees — Essential qualifications of healthful
clothing — Male corset wearers — Fashionable dress examined —
Corsets and tight-lacing — Natural female form — Female form
deformed by fashion — Venus of Milo — Modern Parisian Belle
— The corset a cause of consumption — How a good complexion
is spoiled — Corset-stiffened chests — Corsets and vital capacity
— Health missionaries needed — Heart disease caused by tight-
lacing — Other effects of tight-lacing — Corsets and dyspepsia —

CONTENTS. xi

Death from pressure over stomach — Tight-laced fissure of the
Jiver — A patient in BeUevue Hospital — Various deformities
of the liver from tight-lacing — A liver cut in two — Other evil
results — Instant death from tight-lacing — The corset not a ne-
cessity— The corset a modern invention — From one folly to
another — Elastics — A cause of cold feet and headache — Fash-
ionable suicides — Equable protection of the body necessary —
Bustles — Unclad limbs — What drags the life out of a woman ?
— A cause of uterine disease — Abuse of the feet — French
heels — Evils of narrow shoes and high heels — Chinese treat-
ment of the feet — Fashion in deformity — False hair and hair
dyes — Healthful clothing for women — Grecian, Hawaiian, and
Hindoo customs — How to dress warm — Flounces and over-
skirts — Testimony of a distinguished lady physician — Re-
marks of Prof. T. G. Thomas, M. D.

Pebsonal Beauty 276

How to be beautiful — A beautiful character — An active liver and
sound digestion needed — Danger of using cosmetics — Bathing
— How to avoid colds — A cause of skin diseases — Bathing a
natural instinct — How to bathe — Treatment of common diseases
of the skin — Heat-rash — Treatment — Erythema, or redness of
the skin — Treatment — Acne, face-pimples — Treatment — Com-
edones— Treatment — Acne rosacea — Treatment — Oily skin —
Treatment — Dry skin — Treatment — Dandruff — Treatment —
Offensive perspiration — Treatment — Freckles — Treatment —
Moth patches — Treatment — Baldness — Treatment — Patchy
baldness — Treatment — Hirsutes, overgrowth of hair — Treat-
ment— Depilatories.

Mabriage. 291

Marriage conducive to longevity — Different views respecting marriage
— Modern disregard for the sanctity of marriage — Object of
marriage — When to marry — Marriage in Japan, in the Orient,
in Africa, Italy, Spain, and the Sandwich Islands — Plato's
view of the time for marriage — Wisdom of stock breeders —
Young wives and old husbands — Proper difference in age be-
tween husband and wife — Whom to marry — Characteristics of
a man who will make a good husband — Good health requisite
— Danger from results of early " indiscretions " — Danger of
marrying a man who has been " just a little fast " — Women
should be as scrupulous as men about past character — May he be
a cousin ? — Who ought not to marry — Folly of marrying to
cure disease — A word of advice — Little girls should not marry
— Courting — Dangers of courtship — Flirting.

xii CONTENTS.

The Social Evil 322

Extent of the evil — Hideous results of vice increasing — Danger of
contamination — Causes of falls from virtue — Men not wholly
at fault — Sowing " wild oats " — Purity of mind a complete
safeguard — Illustrative cases — The evil influence of "gush-
ing " manners — Religion the best safeguard — The restraining
influence of physical exercise.

THE WIFE.

Influence of the true wife — Dignity of wifehood — The import of
marriage — The dangers of ignorance — Prime object of marriage
— The hygiene of marriage — Useful suggestions to young wives
— Wedding journeys — Excesses — A woman's rights — A sug-
gestion from nature — Suggestions to wives who desire children
— The Limitation of offspring — Harmful means of preventing
conception — Criminal abortion — Unreliability of preventives —
How respect for the maternal function is destroyed.

Criminal Abortion 351

Revolting character of the crime — Its prevalence in ancient times —
Recommended by Aristotle — Not prohibited by ancient Greeks
or Romans — Modern apologists for the crime — General preva-
lence in modern times — A notorious fact — Destroys more
lives than " war, pestilence, and famine, combined " — Preva-
lence among Southern negroes — Fatality to the mother — Al-
most certain cause of life-long invalidism — A dangerous com-
plication of abortion — Even physicians not aware of the extent
of the crime — Horrible results of attempted abortion — A cause
of deformed children — Influence of abortion on future pregnan-
cies— Influence of abortion on children afterward born — Diffi-
culty of convicting abortionists — The only hope for the future
— Duty of society toward the perpetrators of the crime — Duty
of physicians — Testimony of eminent physicians — A cause of
cancer of the womb.

The Meno-Pause, or Change of Life. 369

When the change occurs — Nature of the change — The grand cli-
macteric— A critical period — A " Pandora's box " of ills —
" An ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure " — Symptoms
indicating approach of the change — Morbid symptoms during

CONTENTS. xiii

the change — "Flushings" — Treatment — Perspirations — Treat-
ment— Mental excitement with tendency to mania — Numerous
symptoms — Liability to tumors and malignant disease — A
special cause of the occurrence of cancer at the change of life
— Hygiene of the change of life — Special care required.

THE MOTHER.

The motherly instinct — Woman's ruling passion — An unhappy
tendency — The dignity of motherhood — A mother's mission —
Mischievous teaching — The prospective mother.

Heredity 388

u Like father like son " — Sons resemble the father and daughter*
the mother — The question of pedigree— Neglect of the matter
of pedigree in contracting marriages — The race deteriorating;
from neglect of hereditary influence — A fatal element at work
in modern society — Lesson from stock breeders — Curious illus-
trative facte — Origin of a new race of sheep — An acquired
deformity inherited — Transmission of acquired habits — The?
Lambert family — The " Porcupine Man " — Remarkable exper-
iment by Prof. Brown Sequard — Heredity in Guinea pigs-
Testimony of Francis Galton — Hereditary genius — Curious-
observation respecting parentage of remarkable divines — The
criminal classes — Bad habits of parents become irresistible
tendencies in children — The children of drunkards — The Juke
family — A remarkable Chinese custom — The case of Ouiteau
— The poets Coleridge — Effect of long-continued anxiety — The
case of James I. — Napoleon — Interesting examples of pre-natal
influence — The puny progeny of young animals — Testimony
of Aristotle against premature marriages — Bad results of youth-
ful marriages in France — The only hope for the physical
redemption of the race.

Gestation, ob Pregnancy 397

Signs of pregnancy — Cessation of menstruation — u Morning sick-
ness — Abdominal flattening — Changes in the breasts —
" Quickening M — Explanation of "quickening" — Ascent of
womb— Abdominal enlargement — Vomiting of later months —
— Leucorrhoea — Descent of the womb.

xiv CONTENTS.

Hygiene of Pregnancy 402

How to secure painless childbirth — The mother's responsibility —
Necessity for special care— -Measures which conduce to com-
fort and safety of the mother during pregnancy and child-
birth— Physiological childbirth — Parturition without pain —
Diet — Stimulants — An erroneous theory — " Longings * — Ex-
ercise— Massage — Dress — The dress of pregnant women reg-
ulated by law in ancient times — Bathing — Local bathing —
Care of the breasts — Measures which influence the child —
Hygiene of ante-natal life — Mental condition of mother — Ef-
fects of intoxication at conception — Hap-hazard generation —
How to secure special mental qualities in children — Care of the
bowels.

Disorders of Pregnancy 426

Pregnancy specially liable to certain derangements of the system —
Results of perverting influences — " Morning sickness " — Treat-
ment — Acidity — Flatulence — Treatment — Constipation —
Treatment — Hemorrhoids, or piles — Treatment — Disorders of
the bladder — Treatment — Disorders of the womb — Treat-
ment — Vaginal discharges — Treatment — Itching genitals —
Treatment — Varicose or enlarged veins — Treatment — Dropsi-
cal swelling of the feet and limbs — Treatment— Pufliness of
the face — Neuralgia — Treatment — Headache and disturban-
ces of vision — Shortness of breath — Fainting — Miscarriage
and abortun — Treatment — Premature labor — Death of the
foetus — Molar or false pregnancy — Flooding — Treatment —
Puerperal convulsions — Treatment — Cramps — Treatment —
Painful breast — Treatment — Palpitation of the heart — Rigid
skin — Treatment — Malpositions, how to remedy.

Labor, or Childbirth 444

Length of p regnancy — Signs of approach of childbirth — Uterine pains
— False pains — Presentation and position — " Breech presenta-
tion " — Other abnormal presentations — Stages of labor — Length
of labor — Causes of delay in labor — Rigidity of the womb-
Rigidity of the perinaeum — Inactivity of the womb— Means of
hastening labor — Massage used by the Chinese, Siamese, Jap-
anese, and other nations — Cong-fou — Ambouk — Methods in
use among the natives of Africa, India, the South Sea Islands,
Mexico, Pueblos, and among the Welch and Dutch peasantry
— Relics of the peculiar methods used by the early settlers of
Kentucky and Ohio — The preparation for labor — Vaginal
douche — Massage — Fomentations — Frictions — Management

CONTESTS. xv

of labor — Mid wives — The preparation of the bed — Position
of patient during the different stages — The employment of
u expression "—How to apply — A substitute for the forceps
— To prevent laceration of "the perinaeum — Delivery of the
child — Expulsion of the placenta, or after-birth — What to do
in cases of still-birth — Artificial respiration for infant — Wash-
ing and dressing the child — Dressing the cord — The belly-band —
The colostrum — Meconium — The binder — Diet of the mother
— Care of the bladder and bowels — The lochia! discharge —
Vaginal injections.

Complications of Childbirth 463

Milk-fever — How to prevent — Diet — Treatment — Care of the
breasts — Massage to nipple — Treatment for retracted nipples
— Sore nipples — Treatment — Causes — Inflammation of the
breast — Treatment — How to empty the breast — How to sup-
port the breast — To check the secretion of milk — Galactor-
rhuea — Treatment — To promote the secretion of milk — "Get-
ting up" — Subinvolution — Hemorrhage after labor — Treat-
ment— Inactivity of the womb — Treatment — Retention of the
afler-birth — Treatment — Rigidity of the womb — Treatment —
Rigidity of the perinaeum — Treatment — After-pain — The use
of ergot — Use of anaesthetics — Chloroform — Twins — Abdom-
inal pregnancy — Puerperal fever — Treatment — Lacerations of
the womb and perinaeum — Phlegmasia dolens — Milk-leg —
Treatment — Puerperal "mania— Treatment — Pelvic inflamma-
tions— Adhesions — Pelvic abscess — Treatment — Misplaced af-
ter-birth, "Placenta previa" — Treatment,

THE DISEASES OF WOMEN.

Causes of increasing frequency — Effects of perverted social habits
— Evils of fashion — Neglect of the bowels and bladder — Causes
of habitual constipation — Deficient muscular exercise — Incon-
venient and imperfect privy accommodations — The earth
closet — Perpetual " dosing " — Homeopathy — False modesty —
"Female weaknesses "—Success of rational methods — Leu-
oorrhcea, ox whites — Treatment — Vaginitis, or inflammation of
the vagina — Treatment — Vaginismus — Treatment — Itching of
genitals — Treatment — Inflammation of the labia — Treatment —
Uterine catarrh, or endometritis — Treatment — Inflammation of
the womb — Treatment — Congestion of the womb — Treatment
—Erosion, or so-called ulceration of the neck of the womb—

rxvi CONTENTS.

Treatment — Amenorrhea, or suppressed menstruation — Treat-
ment— Molimen — Emmenagogues — Scanty menstruation —
Treatment — Infrequent menstruation — Treatment — Vicarious
menstruation — Treatment — Menorrhagia, or profuse 'menstrua-
tion— Treatment — Metrorrhagia, or uterine hemorrhage —
Treatment — Too frequent menstruation — Treatment — Fetid
menstruation — Treatment — Dysmenorrhea^ or painful men-
struation— Treatment — Congestive dysmenorrhea* — Treatment
— Obstructive dysmenorrhea* — Treatment — Membranous dys-
' menorrhoea — Treatment — Ovarian dysmenorrheas^ — Treatment
— Neuralgic dysmenorrhea — Treatment — " Inter-menstrual "
dysmenorrhea — Treatment — Congestion of the ovaries or
ovarian irritation — Treatment — Inflammation of the ovaries —
Treatment — Cellulitis, pelvic peritonitis, inflammation about
the womb — Treatment — Prolapsus, or falling of the womb-
Treatment — Pessaries — Anteversion — Treatment — Anteflex-
ion — Treatment — Retroversion — Treatment — Retroflexion
— Treatment — Lateral displacements — Treatment — Prolapsus
of the ovaries — Treatment — Cystocele, or prolapsus of the
bladder — Treatment — Rectocele — Treatment — Nymphomania
— Treatment — Sterility — Treatment — Coccygodynia, painful
sitting — Treatment — Irritable or hysterical breast — Treat-
ment— Dyspareunia, or painful connection — Treatment — Tu-
mor of the urethra — Treatment — Disease of the ure-
thral glands — Treatment — Bladder disorders in women
— Inability to retain urine — Irritability of the bladder —
Treatment — Hemorrhoids, or piles — Treatment — Constipation
— Treatment — Backache — Treatment — Chlorosis — Treat-
ment — Rupture of the neck of the womb — Treatment — Lac-
eration of the perinaeum — Treatment — Vesicovaginal fistula,
Recto-vaginal fistula — Treatment — Stricture of the womb —
Tumors of the womb— Fibroid tumor — Polypus — Treatment
— Ovarian dropsy — Treatment — Floating tumor of abdo-
men— Floating kidney — Treatment — Cancer of the womb —
Treatment — Tumors of the breast — Treatment — Cancer of
the breast — Treatment — Relaxed and pendant breast —
Treatment — Atrophy of the breast — Treatment — Imper-
forate hymen — Treatment — Deficient development of the
ovaries — Enlarged or relaxed abdomen — Treatment — Hys-
teria— Treatment — Nerve-tire and various nerve ailments
— Treatment — Retention of urine — Treatment — Use of
Catheter,

Practical Suggestions 591

First symptoms of uterine disease — Exercise and rest — Position
during sleep — Diet

CONTENTS. xvii

APPENDIX.

Diseases of Children 609

Hints about the diet of infante — Wet-nurses — Overfeeding — Care
during warm season — Danger from lead-poisoning— " Baby
foods " — Weaning — Col vulsions — Treatment — Night terrors
— Treatment — Pain in the bowels — Treatment — Worms —
Treatment — Vomiting — Treatment — Eruptions — Treatment
— Mumps — Treatment — Measles — Treatment — Whooping-
oough — Treatment — Diphtheria — Treatment — Scarlet fever, or
scarlatina — Treatment — Chicken-pox — Treatment — Infantile
Dyspepsia — Treatment — Diarrhea — Treatment — Dysentery —
Treatment — Prolapsus Ani — Treatment — Wetting the bed —
Treatment — Colds — Treatment — Nasal Catarrh — Treatment-
Ear-ache— Treatment — Discharge from the ear — Treatment —
Sore eyes — Treatment — Croup — False or spasmodic croup —
Treatment — Sore mouth — Treatment — Sore throat — Treat-
ment.

Applications of Water and Electricity C°,i

Rules for bathing — Sponge bath — Wet-sheet pack — Sits or hip
bath — Foot bath — Wet girdle — Vaginal douche — Enema —
Fomentations — Compresses — Oil bath — Heat and cold to spine
— Electricity, how to use — Galvanism — Electric douche —
Bladder douche.

Postural Treatment and Massage 639

To strengthen the muscles of the trunk — Ladder exercises — Arm
and leg movements — To restore displaced organs to position —
Knee-chest position — Massage — Massage of bowels— Massage
of womb.

Miscellaneous Remedies and Prescriptions 643

8oap-and- water enema — Camphor-water enema — Glycerine enema
— Linseed tea enema — Quassia enema— Starch enema — Lo-
tions for use in cancer of the breast — Lotions and other reme-
dies for sore nipples — Vaginal lotions — Vaginal pledgets, or
tampons — Glycerine — Vaseline — Alum — Vinegar — Vaginal
suppositories — For bladder douohe — Prescriptions for constipa-
tion— For catarrh — For mouth and throat — Lime-water —

Disinfectant lotions — Miscellaneous — Salt glow.
2 *

xviii CONTENTS.

Useful Dietetic Recipes 653

Breads — Soft biscuit — Rice waffles — Oatmeal breakfast cake —
Graham breakfast rolls — Rusk — Graham crisps — Oatmeal
crisps — Graham and oatmeal crackers — Diabetic bread — Gru-
els— Beef tea and oatmeal — Milk gruel — Oatmeal gruel — Rice
gruel — Milk porridge — Farina gruel — Cream gruel — Chicken
jelly — Lemon jelly — Bread jelly — Sago jelly — Drinks — Tap-
ioca milk — Rice milk — Bran tea — Rice water1 — Apple and
toast water — Tamarind water — Currant water — Toast water —
Lemonade — Hot lemonade— Flaxseed lemonade — Barley wa-
ter— Gum arabic water — Flaxseed tea — Bran or wheat coffee
— Liquid foods — Chicken broth — Beef tea — Milk diet— Lime-
water and milk — Beef juice — Koumyss — Preparations for nu-
tritive injections — Pancreas and meat solution — Pancreas and
cream — Beef tea and egg — Miscellaneous — White of egg —
White of egg and milk — Eggs and sugar — Slip — Frugolao —
Rice milk — To cook rice.

Glossaby 661

Explanation of Plates 663

Index 665

^i-, — » „ ^ M ^fJtXB!!^

-4 Qop^gg^^^p^^gi fr

* « * C4

Plate L — Low Forms of Life, and simplest modes of Re-
production.
Plate IL — Male and Female Pelvis, with Pelvis of Guinea-

Plate DX — Reproduction in Plants.

Plate IV. — Ovum and Spermatozoa in Man and Lower

Animfllfl.

Plate V. — The Womb and its Appendages.

Plate VL — Development of the Embryo.

Plate VTL — Siamese Twins and Primitive Trace.

Plate VHL — The Breast and the Areola of Pregnancy.

Plate IX. — Pregnant Womb, Section of Ovary, Reproduc-
tion in Tape- Worm, Ovary Discharging Ovum.

Plate X — Results of Tight-Lacing.

Plate XI. — Light Gymnastics.

Plate XH— Postural Treatment

Plate XIII. — Partial and Advanced Prolapsus of the
Womb.

Plate XIV. — Anteversion and Anteflexion.

Plate XV. — Retroversion and Retroflexion.

(xfc)

xx PLATES.

Plate XVI. — Partial and Complete Laceration of the
Perinieum.

Platb A.— (Chromo-lithograph) Female Reproductive Or-
gans. Disease of Urethral Glands.

Plate B. — (Chromo-lithograph) Laceration of the Neck of
the Womb.

Plate D.— (Chromo-lithograph) Cancer of the Breast, be-
ginning and advanced.

Plate 0. — (Chromo-lithograph) Polypus and Cancer of
the Womb.

Plate E. — Human Embryo and Embryo of Dog.

Plate F. — Bad Positions Productive of Deformity.

Plate Q. — Natural and Deformed Waist Contrasted.

Plate H. — Fashion in Deformity.

Plate J. — Grecian, Hawaiian, and Chinese Fashion*

Plate K.— Models for Healthful Clothing.

Plate L. — " Expression " and " Turning. "

Plate M. — Postural Exercisea

Anatomy and Physiology

O-F

Reproduction.

pursuing the study of "the human
form divine," the anatomist or physiologist
is often led to pause in the midst of his dis-
sections or observations, and to exclaim
with the Psalmist, " Great and wondrous
are Thy works." Even the atheist, who
recognizes no Omnipotent Hand as the Cre-
ator of all the marvels which greet the in-
vestigating scientist at every turn, is loth
to believe himself to be a creature of
chance, and is prone to erect an altar dedicated
to the worship of Nature, even if he fails to rec-
ognize the God of Nature. That wonderful machine
which we call the body is the masterpiece of
the Infinite Artist. In every detail of fibre
and structure and function, the most marvelous
wisdom and foresight are displayed, and such an
adaptation of means to end as none but an in-
finite mind could devise. In no part of this won-
derfully delicate and complicated mechanism is this

8 [21]

2'2 THE LADIES' GUIDE,

more strikingly to be observed than in that por-
tion of the body devoted to the perpetuation of the
species, — a function in the performance of which the
interests of the individual are subjugated to those of
the race. To the set of organs co which this impor-
tant work is allotted hi woman, and to the nature and
peculiaritiea of their several functions, this section is
to be devoted ; but before entering upon the special
consideration of the reproductive system, and as a
preparation for the most perfect understanding of the
subject, we will take a hasty glance at life and its
functions in general, and at the structure of the body
and its several parts, with their various functions.

Animated Atoms. — Let us begin at the very
foot of the scale of animate being. Did you ever ob-
serve the filmy coat of green which covers the bottom
of a half-dried pool by the roadside ? or the greenish
accumulation which occurs in old and uncleansed
eaves-troughs? If so, gather a little of this same
green substance and bring it to our laboratory where
we will study it with care by the aid of a powerful
microscope and learn a lesson in the science of life
from the lowly forms which we may observe.

Everything being in readiness, we place beneath
the microscope a little speck of the green slime, and
find that the characteristic color of the same is due to
the green coloring of the myriads of minute specks of
life of which it is composed. The exact appearance
of these under the microscope is well shown in Fig.
1, Plate I, to which the reader's attention is invited.
Each little speck is what is known to the biologist as

PLATE I.— LOW FORMS OF LIFE.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 23

a cell. It is composed of a gelatinous substance of
the consistence of jelly, transparent in all parts ex-
cept its center, at which may be seen sundry little
greenish specks to which the color of the aggregated
mass is due. This humble creature, infinitesimal in
size, is as much a living being as the proudest mon-
arch, and bears the name of protococcus.

A little careful scrutiny of the object will prob-
ably reveal other forms of life closely allied to the
species named, such as those shown at Fig. 2, Plate
I, which are known as amaebce, and which in many
respects differ little from the protococcus. However,
there is in reality a wide difference between these two
animated specks, for one is a vegetable, and the other
an animal. If wre had the time at command, it would
be most interesting to study closely the characteris-
tics and habits of life of these two representative creat-
ures ; but we can only glance a moment at some of
their leading points of interest.

1. They are more or less globular in form,in wide
contrast with the sharp, angular outlines of a crystal
of salt, a snowflake, or a minute grain of sand. This
is true of all living bodies.

2. They eat. Although they are not possessed of
teeth, or even of mouths, they may be observed to
eat, each in its own way, and choosing its own proper
food. The protococcus, our little green plant, sub-
sists upon the minerals and gases which exist in the
moist earth where it finds its home. A careful exam-
ination of the amoeba suggests a reason why it is
found in close proximity to its humble relative, since

24 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

it is found to contain within its central portion, sun-
dry fragments which are evidently the remains of a
protococcus upon which it has made a sumptuous
meal.

3. They grow. As they absorb and appropriate
nourishment, they increase in size, up to a certain
limit, each passing through the several stages of ex-
istence peculiar to its species. In many of these
lowly forms, as in some higher, some of the stages
of the existence of a single individual involve such
remarkable changes that it loses all semblance of
its former appearance and would not be recognized
as the same by the most acute observer. This is
true of the protococcus, as will be seen by compar-
ing the different forms shown in the Plate.

4. They move about. The property of voluntary
or spontaneous motion is usually associated with
animals only; but this rule does not apply to the
little creatures which are found at the lowermost end
of the scale of animate existence. Here both animals
and vegetables are endowed with the power of motion.
The protococcus, at least at certain stages of its ex-
istence, possesses two little filaments by the con-
stant motion of which it propels itself rapidly through
the water when it is immersed, or wriggles along the
face of a moist surface. The amoeba, our atomic
animal, possesses still greater powers of motion and
locomotion. It has no limbs, no feet, no hands, no
wings, and yet it moves about with great facility, and
sometimes after a very lively fashion.

5. They increase in numbers. These infinitesimal

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 25

beings, like the larger members of the animated world
of which they are the types, possess the power of re-
production, by which their respective races may be
preserved from extinction. Of the exact modes of
reproduction here illustrated, we shall take occasion
to spealc elsewhere, and need not say more in this
connection except to mention that they are essentially
the same in each of the two little creatures which
we are considering as representatives of the two great
<li visions of the organic world, animals and vegetables.

6. After living its allotted span of life and per-
forming its due share of labor in the great workshop
of the world, each of these two little creatures " pays
its debt to nature " and returns to its mother earth
whence, directly or indirectly, it came.

Are animals and vegetables then so nearly alike ?
The verdict of science is that the chief distinction
which can be made between these two great classes
in the lowest forms is in the character of the food
upon which they subsist. The vegetable finds its
food in the inanimate elements of the soil, moisture,
and air. The animal cannot appropriate this kind of
nourishment, and feeds upon the vegetables to which
it is so near akin, or upon its brothers of the animal
kingdom.

Slight as is the difference between the two classes,
animals and vegetables, the difference between lowly
vegetable forms and higher, and between the amoeba
and higher animals, is still less. The giant oak is in
reality only an aggregation of living cells each of which
is essentially like the protococcus. The mammoth ele-

26 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

phant, man himself, is but a community of little creat-
ures of which the amoeba is a type. Take a drop of
blood from the finger ; place it under the microscope,
and we find in view thousands of little creatures,
some of which are so nearly like the amoeba which
we found in the slime from a stagnant pool that the
most powerful microscope scarcely shows any differ-
ence (Fig. 2, Plate i ) . These little creatures are known
as the white blood-corpuscles. Each drop of the vi-
tal fluid contains these and millions more of other
little creatures known as the red blood-corpuscles,
which are simply white blood-corpuscles grown old.
Tear off a little bit of tissue from the liver and sub-
mit it to the scrutiny of a powerful magnifying glass.
This too we find to be composed of curiously shaped
little living creatures. These living atoms have each
their particular individual work to do ; the red cor-
puscles to carry oxygen, the white ones to repair in-
jured portions of the body and in their old age to
become red corpuscles, and the cells of the liver to
make bile. In the kidneys are found other peculiar
creatures to which is assigned the duty of removing
from the body certain impurities which together form
the urine. In the stomach are found creatures which
are adapted to the work of making gastric juice to
digest the food. Other cells in the body, devoted to
mechanical work, form the muscles. In the brain
and spinal cord are found still other active creatures
which do our feeling and thinking for us. Thus the
whole body is divided into groups of cells, each group
being assigned a special work to do, just as the mem-

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 27

bers of a community might be grouped according to
the several trades to which its members are devoted.
Having now gained a few fundamental ideas re-
specting the general make-up of the body, let us pro-
ceed to study its several parts with greater care, so
that we may be better prepared to understand their
relations to each other and to the whole. We will
consider first,

THE HUTRITIYE SYSTEM.

All organized beings require a more or less con-
stant supply of new material to promote the processes
of growth and repair. In order to make this material,
termed food, available for the purpose designed, a set
of organs has been provided which are collectively
known as

The Digestive Apparatus. — A quaint author de-
scribed an animal as a stomach with various accessory
organs for ministering to its wants. This remark
presents in a somewhat exaggerated light the relative
importance of the digestive apparatus if we consider
the human animal alone ; but if we are to regard the
animal kingdom as a whole, it cannot be considered
as very much overdrawn. By some mysterious al-
chemy, the exact nature of which is by no means
well understood, the stomach reduces to a soluble
form and a homogeneous character a great variety of
substances which are used as human food, and which
after absorption are by further processes still more
marvelous and mysterious, converted into the various

28 THE LADIES GUIDE.

tissues and elements which compose the body. The
stomach and its accessory organs are the means by
which fresh material is brought into the body to take
the place of that which has become worn out and use-
less, and provides the necessary pabulum for the
growth and development of the yet immature body.
The digestive apparatus consists first, of

The Alimentary Canal, a muscul.-ir tube .ibout
thirty feet in length, extending from the mouth to
the anus, along which are arranged the various acces-
sory organs which take part in the process of diges-
tion. At each end this canal is guarded by a sphinc-
ter muscle for the purpose of retaining its contents
during the process of digestion. Beginning at the up-
per end, we will examine in detail each of the organs
of digestion in the order in which they occur.

The Teeth, twenty in number in the child and
thirty-two in the adult, are arranged in the upper and
lower jaws, being equally divided between the two.
Their function is to reduce the food to a pulverulent
condition so that it may be easily swallowed and may
be readily acted upon by the digestive juices. The
maintenance of the health of the teeth requires their
vigorous use in the mastication of food requiring
trituration.

The Salivary Glands. — Arranged on either side
of the mouth are three glands, the office of which is to
secrete a bland fluid which moistens the food and
softens it preparatory to the act of swallowing, and
at the same time acts an important part in the
chemistry of digestion, as we shall see presently.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 29

The amount of salivary fluid secreted depends very
largely upon the length of time the food is masticated,
as its secretion is stimulated by the act of chewing.

The (Esophagus or Meat-pipe. — The back part
of the mouth is known as the pharynx, which con-
tracts at its lower part to form a small tube which
extends downward to the stomach and is known as
the oesophagus. After the food has been masticated,
it is thrown back into the pharynx by the tongue,
and by a process of squeezing and pulling is carried
down to the stomach.

The Stomach. — This organ, although one of the
most important of the various organs engaged in the
work of digestion, is not, as is generally supposed, the
essential one. It performs only a part of the work
of digestion, and may be dispensed with as easily as
any one of a number of other organs which are asso-
ciated with it in the perfect elaboration of the food.
The stomach is simply a dilated portion of the ali-
mentary canal, holding about three pints when mod-
erately distended. Its lining membrane is filled
with little glands which secrete a fluid known as
gastric juice, which contains a peculiar substance
known as pepsine, the properties of which we will
discuss presently. The gastric juice is intensely acid,
and is secreted in great abundance during the process
of digestion.

The Intestines. — From the stomach downward,
the alimentary canal continues as a small tube for the
greater portion of its length, expanding about five
feet from its termination to form the large intestine,

30 TEE LADIES GUIDE.

or colon, and again contracting a few inches from the
end, forming the rectum, its terminal portion. All
along its course, but especially in that portion known
as the small intestine, this part of the alimentary
canal is plentifully supplied with glands which secrete
a complicated fluid which has an important part to
play in the work of digestion. While the process of
digestion is in progress, the intestines are in constant
motion, wave-like motions, termed peristaltic move-
ments, traversing their whole length, from the
stomach downward, one following another with a sort
of rhythmical action. Similar movements also take
place in the stomach while that organ is engaged in
the digestion of food.

The Liver. — This organ, the largest gland in the
body, is located just beneath the ribs on the right
side of the body. Its left portion projects over the
stomach somewhat. The function of the liver is a
complicated one. Besides its work of making bile, to
which it may be said to be chiefly devoted, it also
performs very important offices in the process of
digestion, and other important functions which may
be more properly mentioned elsewhere. The bile is
conveyed from the liver to the intestine, which it en-
ters a few inches below the stomach, by a duct, which
is joined before it reaches the intestine by another
duct coming from an organ close at hand which is
also involved in the digestive process.

The Pancreas. — This is a gland in many re-
spects closely allied to the salivary glands. The
fluid which it secretes, the pancreatic juice, is a very

AX ATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.

important digestive agent and very strongly resembles
the salivary juice. It will receive further attention
when we consider the digestive fluids.

The Spleen. — This organ is so closely associated
with the digestive apparatus that it has been long
surmised that it is in some way involved in the
process of converting food into blood ; but as yet,
what part, if any, it acts, has not been made out. It
is located in the left side, just under the lower border
of the ribs. It is usually not large enough to be felt,
but often becomes considerably enlarged in persons
who reside in a malarious country, sometimes, as in a
ease which we have now under treatment, to ten or
twelve times its natural size, which is scarcely larger
than that of the closed hand.

The Portal System. — All the blood from that
portion of the digestive system included in the ab-
dominal cavity, is gathered info one large vein by
which it is carried to the liver, a very wise provision
of nature, since it necessitates that whatever is taken
into the blood-vessels from the stomach must pass
through this natural strainer before it can mingle
with the blood of the rest of the body. This relation
of the liver to the portal circulation is important, as
it explains some cases of disease of other abdominal
organs which would otherwise be inexplicable.

The Five Digestive Juices. — From the above
description, it appears that there are five distinct digest-
ive fluids; viz., the saliva, the gastric juice, the bile, the
pancreatic juice, and the intestinal juice. Each of these
several juices has its particular work to perform in
the digestive process.

32 TEE LADIES' GUIDE.

Food, in its relation to the digestive organs, may
be divided into the following classes : —

1. Nitrogenous elements, represented by the albu-
men of eggs, the lean portion of flesh, and the gluten
or vegetable albumen of plants ;

2. Farinaceous and Saccharine elements, repre-
sented by the various kinds of starch and sugar ;

3. Oleaginous elements, found in the various sorts
of vegetable and animal fats ;

4. Indigestible and Innutritiotis elements, as the
cellulose of plants and the tendinous and indigestible
portions of flesh food.

For each one of these classes, except the last, nat-
ure has provided a distinct digestive fluid.

The saliva digests starch, converting it into sugar.
It also changes cane sugar into grape sugar.

The gastric juice digests albumen, caseine, gluten,
and all other digestible nitrogenous elements, and
does not digest any other of the elements of food.

The bile digests the fatty elements of the food,
and no others. The digestion of fats consists in their
conversion into an emulsion and the saponification of a
small portion.

We have still two digestive fluids, the pancreatic
and the intestinal, although we have found provision
for the digestion of all the digestible elements of food.
What use have we for them? Here we see an il-
lustration of the wonderful economy of nature.
Lest any small portion of the food should escape
without complete digestion, she has provided extra
means for the digestion of the several elements of
which our food is composed, as follows : —

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 33

The Pancreatic Juice possesses the remarkable
property of being able to digest two of the elements
of food, and those very dissimilar in character, the
farinaceous and the oleaginous ; so that if there is any
portion of the starch or sugar which escapes the action
of the saliva, it may be acted upon by the pancreatic
fluid ; and the fats not digested by the bile, still have
a chance for digestion by the same agent.

The Intestinal Juice is a still more wonderful
fluid, since it is able to digest all the elements of
food. This remarkable property is undoubtedly due
to the fact that it is the combined product of the ac-
tion of a very large number of different glands-, and so
is undoubtedly very complicated in its composition.

Absorption. — After the food has been reduced to
a fluid state by the action of these various juices, it
is absorbed through two sets of absorbent vessels, and
in some mysterious manner which is by no means well
understood, is converted into blood, a sort of fluid tis-
sue which circulates through the body for the purpose
of conveying to the other tissues the required nour-
ishment, and conveying away the worn out material.

Disintegration and Elimination. — Every move-
ment of a limb, every sensation, even every thought,
results in the destruction or breaking down of tissue.
The force employed in the various life-processes of
the body is evolved at the expense of tissue. Even
the act of digestion itself occasions the loss of a cer-
tain amount of tissue. This process is known as dis-
asmnilation or disintegration. The result of it is the
formation in the body of certain substances known as

34 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

debris or waste products which are poisonous to the liv-
ing tissues, and require prompt removal to preserve
the hody in health. When they are left to accumu-
late, various diseases arise, and death ensues, some-
times in a very short space of time.

To remove these useless and poisonous substances,
a special set of organs is provided, which are termed
eliminative or excretory. Each one of the principal
poisonous elements formed in the body has its special
organ to effect its removal. Urea, the poisonous prod-
uct of the disassimilation of the muscles, is eliminated
by the kidneys. Cholestertne, which results from the
freaking down of nerve tissue, is carried out of the
body through the liver. Carbon di-ozide, or carbonic
acid gas , is eliminated by the lungs. Various poison-
ous elements are carried out by means of the skin,
and still others by the intestinal mucous membrane.
By the action #of these several organs, the system is
kept free from the waste matter which would otherwise
accumulate to such an extent as to hinder the various
vital processes, and in a short time obstruct them al-
together.

Assimilation. — The breaking down and removal
of waste products creates a demand for new material,
which is supplied through digestion and assimilation.
Each tissue possesses the power to repair itself, and
this work is constantly going forward in all parts of
the body, especially during sleep, when the process
of disintegration is less rapid than at other times.
Every tissue participates in this process of change,
even the hardest bones. The soft tissues change very

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 35

often, probably every few weeks or months, while the
more solid tissues probably change as often as every
few years, if not more frequently. The blood, a fluid
tissue, changes completely every few weeks.

THE MOTIVE SYSTEM.

All of the voluntary and involuntary movements
of the body are the result of the contraction of the
minute fibres of the muscles, which constitute the
fleshy portion of the body. The bones also partici-
pate in many of the bodily movements, particularly
those of a voluntary character, by affording points
for the attachment of the muscles.

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.

In the brain and spinal cord, and to some extent
in other parts of the body, there are to be found
curious little cells, which vary greatly in size and
shape, and are exceedingly minute, but which possess
similar and very remarkable properties. When ex-
amined closely, it is found that these little creatures
are provided with delicate prolongations of their sub-
stance, which may be compared to fingers, and which
may be traced from the cells themselves to the most
remote parts of the body in many instances, while in
others they seem to be joined to other cells in the
immediate vicinity. Some cells are furnished with a
very large number of these fingers, while others have
but one or two, or even none at all. Certain cells

36 TEE LADIES GUIDE.

send fingers to the eye, others to the ear, still others
to the nose, others to the tongue, and others to the
skin.

Thus it is that the various sensible properties of
objects are perceived by the brain. Its cells are ex-
tended into the remotest parts of the body by means
of their immensely long fingers, and thus are con-
scious of whatever is transpifing at the surface or out-
side of the body. Similar fingers are sent out by
other cells to the muscles, and muscular action is pro-
duced by impulses received from the cells in the
brain or spinal cord. Other cells send out fingers to
the stomach, and through their influence the work of
digestion is performed. Still other cells have charge
of the work of the liver in a similar manner. Thus
all the work of the body is done through the influence
of the little creatures which reside in the brain and
spinal cord. By means of fingers sent* out by other
cells, all the various parts of the body are associated
together in the closest sympathy. Every member
sympathizes with every other member. When one
suffers, all suffer.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 37

The Reproductive System.

■=l*W»fc»

All of the organs and systems of organs thus far
considered, relate to the individual exclusively.
Their object is the development and maintenance of
the individual life. Reproduction has for its object
the production of new individuals. This, so far as
physiology teaches us anything on the subject, is its
sole and entire function. It has reference to the race,
not to the individual. Its exercise ought to be
wholly unselfish in its object, though the human spe-
cies, unlike the majority of lower animals, too often
prostitute it to basely selfish purposes.

As this book is intended for one sex only, we
shall in the consideration of the anatomy of reproduc-
tion, confine the description to the reproductive appa-
ratus of the human female, although the consideration
of the physiology of reproduction will require us to
study to some extent the function in both sexes, and
in lower animals.

The organs of reproduction in both sexes may be
divided into two classes, — essential and accessory.
The essential organs are those which produce the re-
productive elements known as the zoosperm or sperma-
tozoa in the man, and the ovum in the female, the for-
mer being produced by the essential organ of repro-
duction of the male known as the testicle, and the lat-
ter by the ovary, the essential reproductive organ of
the female. The other organs concerned in reproduc-

38 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

tion in the female are chiefly for the purpose of pro-
tecting the young human being during its develop-
ment. The concise description of the various organs
involved in the process of reproduction which we shall
attempt to give, will be best understood by reference
to Plate A, which represents the middle portion of
the body as divided vertically through the center.

Beginning with the most external portion of the
reproductive apparatus, we find, first, two fleshy folds
known as the labia, which unite in front at a
prominence known as the mons veneris, which, with
the labia, is in the adult covered with a thick growth
of hair. A vertical slit separates the labia, a short
distance from the lower or posterior end of which is
the anus, or circular opening of the lower end tff the
alimentary canal, or intestine*

Just within the labia are two smaller folds of tis-
sue known as the labia minora, which unite at the
upper end, forming a sort of sheath, beneath which is
the clitoris, which corresponds to the penis of the male.
The clitoris is composed of erectile material, which is
also true of the labia minora. Both of these parts are
abundantly supplied with nerves of sensibility, and
together they constitute the chief seat of sensation in
the sexual act.

Just below the clitoris is a small opening known
as* the meatus urinarius, the external orifice of the
urethra, a small passage connected at its inner end
with the bladder, and serving as a means of out-let
for the urinary secretion.

A short distance below the meatus urinarius is an-

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 39

other opening which leads into the vagina. This
opening is usually partially closed by a thin mem-
brane termed the hymen. In some cases the vaginal
orifice is nearly closed by the hymen, while in others
there is but a mere trace of membrane. In excep-
tional cases the hymen may be wholly absent, or may
completely close the mouth of the vagina. The
presence or absence of the hymen is not, as was form-
erly supposed, a test of virginity. As just indicated,
it may be absent normally, and cases are not rare in
which it persists after marriage or even after child-
birth, though it is usually ruptured at the first sexual
intercourse.

The vagina is a canal lying between the bladder
in front and the rectum behind. Its length is usually
four to six inches. It is lined with mucous membrane
which lies in folds so as to allow distention at partur-
ition. Its walls contain muscular fibres by the con-
traction of which, at least in part, the canal is made
to return to its normal size after child-birth.

Projecting into the inner end of the vaginal canal,
as may be seen in the Plate, are to be found the
fleshy lips of the lower end of the uterus or womb.
This organ is pear-shaped in outline. Its length is
about three inches. It is somewhat flattened, being
about two inches wide at its broadest point, and one
inch thick. Its tissue is chiefly muscular, its fibres
being of the unstriated or involuntary variety,
which contract independent of the will, like those of
the stomach and bladder. The upper or larger por-
tion of the organ is known as the fundus or body, the

40 THE LADIE8 GUIDE.

lower or tapering portion, as before stated, being
termed the cervix or neck. The cavity of the uterus
differs in form in different parts of the organ. In the
fundus it is triangular, the apex of the triangle point-
ing downward. The cavity of the cervix is fusiform.
The two cavities, that of the fundus and that of the
cervix, are separated by a constriction known as the
08 internum or internal os. The lower opening of the
cervix or mouth of the womb is termed the os exter-
num or external os. The uterus lies in the pelvis
between the bladder and the lower portion of the
large intestine, being somewhat inclined forward from
the axis of the trunk. The cavity of the uterus is
lined with mucous membrane, which is covered with
a peculiar kind of cell known as ciliated epithelium.
These cells are conical in shape, being attached by
their smaller extremity. The outer or free extremity
is covered with minute, hair-like processes which are
constantly in motion. In the lower portion of the
womb their motion is such as to produce a constant
current inward toward the cavity of the body ; while
in its upper portion their action is in an opposite di-
rection.

The upper angles of the body of the womb are so
constituted as to form two small tubes, one on either
side, known as the fallopian tubes, or ovi-ducts, which
terminate in a sort of fringe. At each extremity the
canal of the fallopian tubes is scarcely large enough
to admit a bristle. Through the middle portion of the
tube the canal is considerable larger. The fallopian
tubes, like the vagina, are lined with mucous mem-

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 41

brane, and, as is the case with the uterus also, their
lining membrane is covered with ciliated epithelium ;
but instead of moving inward, the motion, of the cilia
in the tubes is toward their outward extremity which
communicates with the uterus, the object of which is
to carry the ovum toward the cavity of the uterus, as
will be presently seen.

On either side of the uterus and near its central
portion are located the essential organs of reproduc-
tion, the ovaries. Each ovary is about one and one-
half inches in length, and is placed horizontally, as
shown on Plate VI. The ovary is held in position and
connected to the uterus by a broad loid oi ii.caibrane
known as the broad ligament, which also supports
along its upper border the fallopian tube, the outer
extremity of which curves downward and terminates
near the ovary. Each ovary is also joined by its in-
ner end to the upper angle of the uterus by a small
twisted cord known as the ligament of the ovary.
When the ovary is cut m two, as shown on Plate IX,
and examined by means of a microscope, it is found
to be filled, especially near its outer border, with
small cells, which are undeveloped or unripe ova,
destined to be matured and cast off one at
a time at each menstrual period during the life of
the individual, some, under favorable circumstances,
to be developed into human beings.

The Bladder. — The bladder in females is located
in front of the uterus, and is somewhat larger than
in the male, its measurement from side to side being
greater than from before backward. The urine is dis-

42 THE LADIE& GUIDE.

charged from the bladder through a canal about
one-fourth inch in diameter, known as the urethra,
the opening in which is just above that of the upper
edge of the vagina.

The Rectum. — This portion of the alimentary
canal, its inferior terminus, lies behind the uterus
and the vagina in the hollow of the sacrum, its lower end
being guarded by a circular muscle known as the
sphincter ant. Between the lower part of the rectum
and that of the vagina is placed a wedge-shaped body,
the broad base of which occupies the space between
the anus and the vaginal opening. This structure is
known as the perineum. It is a muscular structure,
but is possessed of considerable solidity, and plays a
most important part in maintaining the internal
organs in proper position. It is sometimes ruptured
in parturition, giving rise to serious disease, as else-
where shown.

Blood Supply of the Uterus and Ovaries. —
The blood supply of these associated organs is chiefly
derived from the same source, the uterine and
ovarian arteries connecting in such a way as to
make the circulation of the ovary and uterus practic-
ally the same. The blood-vessels of the uterus are
distributed through its substance in such a way as to
very readily give rise to passive congestion, being
very torturous, and venous obstruction occurring very
easily. This accounts for the great readiness with
which the organ becomes subject to diseases of
various sorts due to passive congestion.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 43

Nerves of the Uterus and Ovaries. — The nerv-
ous supply of the uterus and ovaries, as well as of
the other internal organs of generation, is chiefly de-
rived from the organic or sympathetic system of nerves,
very few sensory nerves being found in their sub-
stance. This accounts for the very great degree of
insensibility to pain characteristic of these organs in
a state of health. The nervous supply of the ovaries,
uterus, and vagina, is still more closely associated
than the blood-vessels of these organs, nearly all the
nerve-branches being derived from the same source ;
which accounts for the ¥ery close nervous connection
which is observed in both health and disease, but
particularly in the latter condition. The nerves sup-
plying the uterus and ovaries are chiefly derived from
the perve-centers of the lower part of the spine,
which also send branches to the external tissues ly-
ing in their vicinity, which undoubtedly accounts for
the great prominence of pain in this region as a
symptom of uterine disease.

Supports of the Uterus. — The womb is held in
place by a variety of forces brought to bear on it.
In a state of health and when unimpregnated, the
uterus weighs scarcely more than an ounce and a
quarter, so that little force is required to retain it in
position. Nevertheless, ample means are supplied to
keep it in its proper place, such as are sufficient when
there is no departure from the conditions upon which
depends the maintenance of these organs in a state
of health. The uterus is connected with the adjacent
organs by six ligaments. Two connect its posterior

44 THE LADIE& GUIDE.

surface with the rectum; two other ligaments con-
nect it anteriorly with the posterior wall of the blad-
der ; while its sides are connected with the sides of
the pelvis by means of two broad folds of tissue
known as the broad ligaments. These ligaments are
not composed of fibrous tissue as are ligaments in
other parts of the body, but are simply folds of the
serous membrane lining the abdominal cavity, known
as the peritoneum. They are not muscular in char-
acter, and so do not possess the power of contraction,
though they sometimes become contracted as the re-
sult of disease. %

The broad ligaments, with the uterus, divide the
pelvic cavity into two portions. The anterior part
contains the vagina, bladder, and the anterior half of
the uterus, while the posterior portion contains the
rectum and the posterior half of the womb. The
ovaries, as before described, are located in the broad
ligaments which form this septum. These bands of
tissue undoubtedly play an important part in maintain-
ing the uterus in position, and yet they are so placed
that they cannot prevent the organ from settling
down into the cavity of the pelvis, or changing its
position in various other ways, when any degree of
force calculated to displace it is brought to bear
upon it.

The maintenance of this organ in its proper place
h undoubtedly chiefly due to other means than the
ligaments just described. Probably the most efficient
of these is the support of contiguous organs, — the rec-
tum, bladder, and portions of the small intestine

ANATOMY AND PHYSrOLOGY. 45

which lie closely about the uterus, — and the peri-
neum, the wedge-shaped body occupying the space be-
tween the lower portion of the vagina and the rectum.
The latter organ must be regarded as the chief means
by which the descent of the uterus is prevented when
the trunk of the body is in a perpendicular position.
The perineum is located some distance below the ute-
rus, and is connected with the latter organ only
through the vagina ; but the vaginal walls possess suf-
ficient firmness when in a healthy state, to act effi-
ciently as a prop for the womb attached to their upper
extremity. The efficiency of the vagina as a support
for the uterus by the aid of the perineum, is greatly
increased by the concavity of its posterior wall, which
will be observed by reference to Plate A, being sup-
ported behind by the rectum, in front by the bladder,
and below by the perineum. The vagina is an effi-
cient means of maintaining the uterus in position so
long as its walls retain their proper " tonicity " or
firmness.

The muscular walls of the abdomen must also be
regarded as an efficient means of supporting the ute-
rus and ovaries in position, acting indirectly through
the intestinal viscera. The uterus and ovaries lying
in close contact with the organs which occupy the
lower portion of the abdomen and the upper part of
the pelvis, are supported by them so long as the in-
testines and neighboring organs are held in position
by the abdominal walls. When the muscles of the
abdomen lose their tone, so that they no longer sup-
port the contents of the abdominal cavity, and allow

46 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

them to drop down into the pelvis, the uterus and
ovaries will be crowded out of position in spite of the
support which they receive from several ligaments,
the vagina, and the perineum. It is probable also,
that the pyri-form shape of the uterus aids in keeping
it in position, the adjacent organs being packed
around its lower portion in such a way as to sustain
it. This is evidenced by the fact that its position
varies with that of the bladder and rectum. When
these cavities are both distended, the organ lies higher
than when they are empty. When the bladder is
empty and the rectum distended, it is tilted over
toward the former; and vice versa. The last named
means of support for the uterus has been too often
overlooked, and, as we shall hereafter show, this
oversight has given rise to injurious and unsuccessful
methods of treating uterine displacements.

The Pelvis. — This is a cavity formed by the union
of several bones, the ossa innominata forming the
two sides, and the wedge-shaped sacrum and coccyx
the posterior portion. Four joints are formed : one
by the union of the ossa innominata, — the symphy-
sis pubis ; two at the points of union between the
ossa innominata and the sacrum; and the fourth
by the junction of the coccyx with the lower end of
the sacrum. These joints are not flexible joints like
those of the fingers, elbows, or most other joints of
the body, but are almost immovable under ordinary
circumstances, the bones being held together by strong
ligaments. In advanced age they often become solid;
in fact, this change may occur in males in early life.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 47

The form of the pelvis will be best seen by referring
to Plate II. We would call especial attention to
the expanded lateral portion of the pelvis, formed by
the broad iliac bones, the space between which is
known as the false pelvis, and to the opening through
the pelvis, forming quite an essential cavity, known
as the true pelvfe. The line separating the false and
the true pelvis is known as the brim of the true pel-
vis, a term often used in midwifery, the significance
of which ought to be understood on that account.
Just opposite the symphysis pubis is a prominent
point also of especial interest in this connection,
known as the promontory of the sacrum, formed by
the upper portion of the. sacrum, which projects into
the true pelvis, lessening its diameter from before
backward. Upon the greater or less prominence of
this promontory depends, to a great degree, the ease
or difficulty with which child-birth may take place.
Attention should also be called to the arch formed
beneath the symphysis pubis by the divergence of the
lower portions of the ossa innominata, which support
the weight of the body in sitting. This arch, with
the space between the lower part of the symphysis
pubis and the coccyx, forms the outlet of the pelvis.
Differences between the Male and Female Pel-
vis.— There are several important differences between
the pelvis in males and females which should here re-
ceive attention, which will be best understood by re-
ferring to Figs. 1 and 2, Plate II.

These may be enumerated as follows : —

1. The bones of the female pelvis are more slen-

48 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

der than those of males, and present smoother sur-
faces.

» 2. The female pelvis is much wider than that of
the male, the distance between the extreme points of
the ossa innominata being proportionately much
greater than in the male pelvis.

3. The true pelvis is very much larger than in the
male; and the distance between the brim and the
outlet proportionately less, which is due to the fact
that the sacrum is shorter and the arch beneath the
pubis much wider than in the male.

4. The sacrum in the female pelvis is much less
curved than in the male pelvis, so that the canal of
the pelvis in much straighter in the female than in
the male pelvis.

Some of the differences above noted are made
more apparent by the comparative views of the male
and female pelvis given in Figs. 1 and 2, Plate II.
It will also be observable that the prominent points
on the- interior surface of the pelvis project into its
cavity to a much greater distance in the male pelvis
than in the female.

Some of the above mentioned peculiarities of the
female pelvis, particularly the greater divergence of
the large bones of the pelvis, give to the female figure
its chief characteristics. The ancient Greeks, in their
models of female beauty, made the measurement
across the hips one-third greater than across the shoul-
ders, reversing these measurements in their represen-
tation of male beauty in Apollo. It is this great
breadth across the hips which occasions the swinging

PLATE II

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 49

gait in females in whom the size of the pelvis is unus-
ually prominent. The greater the width, the more
marked will be the peculiarity of the gait.

Canal of the Pelvis. — The space between the
brim of the pelvis and its outlet constitutes what is
known as the cavity or canal of the pelvis. The
outlet is very irregular and incomplete in its bony
outline, but is rounded and completed by the soft
parts. When thus completed, its proportionate length
and direction is about as represented in Fig. 3, Plate
II. The strongly curved character of the canal will
be at once noticed; also the fact that the symphysis
pubis, located at the point marked S in the figure, is
almost directly under the promontory of the sacrum,
P. It will thus be seen that the brim or inlet of the
pelvic cavity looks almost directly backward when
the person is standing erect, while the outlet of the
pelvis looks forward. This peculiar arrangement is
characteristic of the human pelvis, and is designed to
give to the contents of the abdominal cavity the
proper support while the body is in the erect posture
peculiar to human beings. In the lower animals the
canal of the pelvis is almost straight; which is wholly
compatible with the prone position natural to all the
lower orders of animals.

Measurements of the Pelvis. — The principal
measurements of the pelvis are as follows : from the
upper edge of the symphysis pubis to the promontory
of the sacrum, four and one-half inches ; transversely
across from T to T, as shown in Fig. 2, Plate II, five
and one-fourth inches; obliquely across from O lo L
or 0 to R, five inches. These dimensions are those

50 . THE LADIES GUIDE.

obtained by measuring the cavity at the brim. It is
found that measurements vary considerably at differ-
ent portions of the canal. At the middle portion of
the pelvic cavity the oblique diameter is more than
five and one-fourth inches, while the transverse meas-
urement is only five inches, or one-fourth inch less
than at the brim. At the outlet, the transverse
measurement is only "four and one-fourth inches, or
one-fourth inch less than at the brim of the pelvis,
and the oblique four and three-fourths inches, or one-
fourth inch less than at the brim, and one-half inch
less than at the middle of the cavity ; while the an-
teroposterior diameter is five inches, or six when the
coccyx is forced back, as it is during the last stage of
child-birth. It thus appears that at the brim the
transverse diameter is the greatest, at the middle of
the cavity the oblique diameter, and at the outlet the
antero-posterior. This relation of the different meas-
urements of the pelvis gives rise to the change in the
position of the head of the child during child-birth,
known as rotation, which will be more fully explained
hereafter.

The remarkable curve of the pelvic cavity and the
peculiar relation of its several diameters make the act
of child-birth in the human female much more compli-
cated and difficult than in the females of the lower
animals, in whom the canal is usually straight, al-
though in somo instances, as in the cow and the
guinea-pig, it is much too narrow to admit of the pas-
sage of the young animal. In these cases, however,
a remarkable change takes place during the few weeks
prior to the termination of pregnancy. In the guinea-

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 51

pig, the ligaments which unite the ossa innominata
at the symphysis pubis become greatly relaxed, so
that the cavity can be greatly enlarged during partu-
rition by the separation of the ends of the bones.
This is well shown in Figs. 4 and 5, Plate II. In
the cow the same thing takes place at the junctions
of the ossa innominata with the sacrum, allowing the
bones to be separated at these points to such a degree
as to greatly enlarge the pelvic cavity. After partu-
rition, the ligaments in both animals very quickly
shorten again, so that the bones return to their nor-
mal relation with each other.

A change somewhat similar to that described above
takes place in the human female prior to child-birth.
Numerous observations have shown that the change
which occurs is almost identical with that which takes
place in the pelvis of the cow, and occasional in-
stances are known in which the change noted as tak-
ing place in the guinea-pig has occurred in the human
female. A few years ago, a case of this sort came
under our observation, in which the separation of the
ossa innominata at the pubis was so great that the
bones did not return to their normal position again,
but remained movable, giving rise to a considerable
degree of motion, which was accompanied by a grat-
ing sound whenever the patient exercised upon her
feet.

Another interesting fact which should be men-
tioned in this connection as having an important bear-
ing on the size of the pelvic cavity is the fact that
the several parts of the pelvis sustain different rela-
tions to each other in different positions of the body.

52 THE LADIE& GUIDE.

When the body is in a standing, sitting, or lying po-
sition, the promontory of the sacrum recedes some-
what, making the brim or inlet of the true pelvis
larger than when the body is in other positions.
When the body is bent forward upon the thighs,
the symphysis is tilted forward by the contrac-
tion of the abdominal muscles, thus diminishing the
size of the brim and enlarging the outlet. This ac-
counts for the positions naturally taken by women
during the different stages of child-birth. At the be-
ginning a sitting, standing, or lying position is pre-
ferred, while during the later stages, the body is bent
forward, or the limbs drawn up.

The Breasts or Mammary Glands. — These or-
gans are so closely associated with the organs of gen-
eration in the female that a description of the latter
would not be complete without it includes at least a
general account of the former. The breast is situated
between the third and sixth or seventh ribs, and ex-
tends from the sternum to the axilla. The left
breast is usually a little larger than the right. In
the center of the breast is located the nipple, which
is of a rose-pink color in a woman who has not borne
children, and is surrounded by a ring of tissue some-
what different from the surrounding skin, and of the
same color as the nipple. Upon the surface of this
ring several little tubercular projections may be seen,
at the top of which may be observed, upon close in-
spection, a number of little openings, which are the
orifices of small glands producing an oily secretion
which protects the nipple. These minute structures
are mentioned on account of the peculiar changes

Fig. f.

I : " : !

Fig. 2.

U.C

PLATE VIII.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 53

which occur in them during pregnancy. The nipple
is very liberally supplied with blood-vessels and in-
voluntary muscular fibres, and is exceedingly sensi-
tive. Upon being irritated, the nipple becomes
charged with blood, undergoing erection, and a slightly
pleasurable sensation is produced. The great bulk
of the breast consists of* fatty or adipose tissue, un-
derneath which is placed the glandular and essential
portion of the breast, which consists of a large
number of lobes and lobules, as shown in the lower
part of Fig. 1, Plate VIII. Each lobule is divided into
still smaller lobules, in the interior of which are
found a large number of cells, by which the milk se-
cretion is produced. Each lobule communicates with
a small duct, which joins with other ducts, and thus
forms a larger canal, which in turn unites witty other
canals of the same character, forming still larger
ducts, some fifteen or twenty in number ; all of these
converge toward the nipple, near which they become
considerably dilated, forming reservoirs, in which the
milk collects. At the base of the nipple, the ducts
are reduced to a small size again, and are continued
up through the nipple without uniting together, each
opening at the surface by a separate orifice. The
milk-ducts and reservoirs contain a large number of
muscular fibres in their walls, which are capable of
contracting and thus diminishing the size of the tubes.
Irritation of the nipple, either by the mouth of the
child or otherwise, causes dilation of the openings
of the ducts, and at the same time a contraction of
the walls of the ducts within the glands, by which

54 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

double action the milk is made to flow freely. This
action is sometimes reproduced by emotional excite-
ment of any kind, so that the milk is expelled invol-
untarily and lost. It sometimes happens that irrita-
tion of one gland will cause expulsion of milk from
the other, so that nursing the child at one breast
will occasion a loss of the secretion at the other.

Lymphatic vessels are very abundant in the
breast, by which the watery portion of the milk may
be absorbed. The action of the lymphatics may be
increased by friction, which furnishes an excellent
means of lessening the milk secretion when necessary.

The mammary gland is a peculiar modification of
the sebaceous or oil glands, which are very abundant
in the skin. It is present in all animals which have
warm blood and bring forth their young alive. These
animals are known as mammals in consequence of their
possession of mammce. A very interesting study in
natural history is the peculiar arrangement and loca-
tion of the mammary glands in different animals. In
one animal known as the "duck-bill," a native of
Australia, the mammary gland consists simply of a
flat surface not covered by hair, which presents
numerous little openings for the milk-ducts. In some
animals the breast is a cavity or depression in the
surface rather than a prominence. In one very
curious class of animals known as marsupials, to
which belong the kangaroo and opossum, the breasts
consist simply of nipples, which are inclosed in a
pouch, into which the young are placed after their
birth, each young one becoming attached to a nipple,

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 55

to which it clings until it is developed ; when it un-
dergoes a sort of second birth. The young of these
animals are very imperfectly developed when first
born. In bats, the breasts consist of a single pair,
which are placed upon the chest in the same position
as in human beings. In whales, the breasts are lo-
cated very close to the vulva. In dogs and pigs, the
breasts are arranged in a double row extending nearly
the whole length of the body.

Certain anomalies and irregularities sometimes oc-
cur in the formation of the breasts, which are not un-
interesting. Cases are sometimes met in which there
are two or three nipples on one gland. In some in-
stances, there are more than two breasts. Usually
the extra breast or breasts are located near the ordin-
ary position, but sometimes they are found on distant
parts of the body, as the back or thigh, or in the
axilla.

In the male, the breast is usually only rudiment-
ary, but cases are on record in which the gland has
been abnormally developed in the male to such an ex-
tent as to produce an abundant supply of milk. A
case is reported in which a colored man acted as wet-
nurse in the family of his master for many years.

The secretion of milk in the female breast is
not usually formed until toward the termination of
pregnancy, but by a long continued process of manip-
ulation and stimulation, the gland may be made to
produce milk freely in virgins. In some couutries,
wet-nurses are systematically produced in this way.
The curious fact has been observed that milk is some-

56 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

times secreted by the mammary gland in very young
infants, the secretion usually commencing at birth or
two or three days afterward, and continuing for two
or three weeks. Usually only two or three drops
can be pressed out of the nipple at one time, but oc-
casionally the amount of fluid is increased to one or
two drachms. This anomalous secretion of milk is
observed with equal frequency in both sexes.

Before pregnancy, the breast, when fully devel-
oped, is hemispherical in form, and possessed of con-
siderable firmness, but after nursing, during which
time the breast is considerably enlarged, the tissues
become somewhat softer and flabby or pendulous.

THE REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTIOHS,

Wonderful as they are in their anatomical struct-
ure, the reproductive organs are still more remark-
able in the functions which they are designed to
perform. To them is allotted the important work of
producing new individuals, and thus perpetuating
the race. They enable man to become in a certain
sense a creator. Their function may be regarded
as the highest of that of any of the organs of the
body, if we except the brain, the organ of thought
and feeling. Although their office relates particularly
to new beings, rather than to the individual, their as-
sociation with the other organs of the body is so inti-
mate that any derangement of function is quickly fol-
lowed by disease of other parts, as we shall have oc-
casion to show more fully hereafter. Their functions

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 57

are also largely controlled by the varying conditions
of the body which affect the functions of other or-
gans, sometimes being suspended, sometimes exag-
gerated by influences which may similarly affect
other organs.

A fact of importance which it is well to understand,
is that the sexual function, being the least concerned in
the maintenance of individual life, is more likely to be
suspended than other functions, when through lack of
nutrition, wasting disease, or any other depressing
cause, the vital forces of the body are impaired. This
fact accounts for the cessation of menstruation in
connection with tubercular disease, anaemic conditions
of the body resulting from hemorrhage or otherwise,
and other morbid states in which the vitality is at a
low ebb, instances of which are frequently observed.
We have mentioned this fact in this connection for
the purpose of correcting the popular notion that the
suspension of menstruation, one of the leading sexual
functions in woman, is in these cases the cause of the
other morbid conditions with which the disease is
associated ; whereas, as just explained, it is simply a
result, and is of no greater significance than other
symptoms growing out of the fundamental morbid
condition under which the system may be suffering.

Notwithstanding the immense amount of study
and research which has been bestowed on the sexual
function in man as well as animals, there is still much
mystery connected with the subject. Nature has not
yet allowed inquisitive man, even when aided by the
most powerful microscope and other instruments of

58 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

investigation which he has invented, to fathom all the
secrets connected with the marvelous process by
which new beings are created. Nevertheless a suffi-
cient amount of knowledge has been developed to
render this subject exceedingly interesting, and to
disperse to a large extent, the mists of ignorance by
which it has been surrounded from the earliest times
down to the present. We shall not attempt to pre-
sent in the brief space devoted to this part of the sub-
ject, all that is known respecting the functions of the
reproductive organs, but only some of the more sali-
ent points, and such as have some relation to the
practical information to which the greater portion of
this work is devoted.

In order to make more clear and comprehensible
the nature of the function in human beings, we have
introduced a few illustrative facts respecting the
function in the various lower orders of animals. By
these and other means, we have endeavored to so
simplify this intricate subject as to bring it within
the understanding of all who are sufficiently mature
in mind to be capable of comprehending it and prof-
iting by the instruction given in this work.

Ovulation. — A microscopical examination of the
fully developed ovary shows that its interior is chiefly
made up of an almost infinite number of little sacs,
each one of which contains a small cell as shown in
Fig. 3, Plate IX. This is true of the ovaries of all spe-
cies of higher animals. When the female of any spe-
cies of animal attains a certain stage of development,
these cells begin to work toward the surface of the

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 59

» . ■

ovary. One by one they approach the outer surface
of the organ, together with the little sac in which each
is contained, which increases gradually in size during
its approach toward the surface, and finally, when the
surface of the ovary is reached, becomes distended to
many times its former size, by the accumulation of
serum within its cavity. The little cell in the mean-
time becomes attached to that portion of the sac
nearest the surface of the ovary.

By and by the distension of the sac becomes so
great that it can no longer retain its contents, when
it ruptures with considerable violence, thus allowing
the escape of its fluid contents, which sweep along with
them the little cell for the development of which this
curious arrangement was designed. The final act in the
process which we have just described, has been well
shown by the artist in Fig. 4, Plate IX. The little
cell which is thus forcibly ejected from the ovary by
the process just described, is really an egg, composed
of a delicate membrane inclosing a yolk.

Viviparous and Oviparous Animals. — Up to
very nearly the present time it has been supposed
that a radical diiference existed in the mode of devel-
opment of viviparous and oviparous animals, or those
which bring forth their young alive, and those which
produce eggs to be afterward hatched outside the
body. Modern researches, however, have shown
that no such radical difference exists, but that the
young of all higher animals, including those which
bring forth their young alive, are really produced from
eggs, the only difference being in the manner in which
these eggs are developed.

GO THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

Procreation a Budding Process. — The affinity
between man and the lower orders extends still fur-
ther down the scale of animate existence. Tho stu-
dent of biology is familiar with the fact that in certain
low orders of animals, as, for instance, the kydroids,
the multiplication of the species takes place by a kind
of budding. The hydroid is a sort of animated shrub
of jelly-like consistence. It is usually found growing
attached to rocks and various solid or stationary bod-
ies, in little communities. From the parent stems lit-
tle buds grow out, some of which after a time break
off and swim away as independent little jelly-fishes.
These, in turn, become attached to a submerged rock
or an aquatic plant, and after becoming fully devel-
oped, give rise to other buds, thus perpetuating the
species. This is a process of external budding, but
in other species of lower animals the same process
takes place on the interior of the parent animal.
This is the case, for example, with the distoma or
"fluJce" a parasitic creature one species of which
makes its home in the human liver. In one stage of
its existence, this little animal consists of a long yel-
low sac, looking like a yellow worm. From the in-
terior of this sac little buds arise, which become de-
veloped into new beings, and these, in time, come to
resemble their parent, and perpetuate the same curi-
ous process.

This same budding process actually takes place in
human beings, the little cell or egg ejected from the
ovary being in fact nothing more nor less than an in-
terior bud produced in that organ and separated by a

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 61

process not very different from that by which the lit-
tle buds of the polyp or the distoma are separated
from the parent. The chief difference between the
budding process in human beings and in the lower or-
ders referred to, is that in the case of the former
the little bud separated from one parent cannot de-
velop into a perfect human being without uniting with
a similar bud from another individual of the opposite
sex.

Ovulation Periodic. — The above described bud-
ding process or casting off of an egg or ovum does
not take place continually, but occurs periodically.
This is true of all classes of higher animals as well as
of the human female. The length of the interval be-
tween the periodical repetitions of this process varies
in different individuals and different classes of ani-
mals. In the human female the ovum is matured
once every four weeks or in twenty-eight to thirty
days, a period corresponding very nearly to the lunar
month. In the horse, cow, rabbit, and numerous other
animals, the period is very much shorter. Completion
of the development of the ovum and rupture of the
vesicle containing it, is hastened by sexual congress.

Menstruation. — In connection with the matura-
tion and casting off of the ovum, various other changes
take place in the sexual organs which are accompanied
by a greater or less disturbance of the whole system.
In the lower animals this is termed the "oestrus,"
"heat," or "rut." At this period in lower animals
.there is usually a considerable degree of congestion
of the whole generative apparatus ; the secretions of

62 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

the vagina and the neighboring parts are greatly in-
creased in quantity and somewhat changed in quality.
In the female dog the mucous membrane of the vagina
becomes very red and somewhat swollen, and produces
an abundant secretion slightly tinged with blood. This
secretion also produces at this time a peculiar odor,
which attracts the attention and appears to stimulate
the passions of the male animal. The same condition is
observed in the rabbit, and in certain species of apes
the congestion involves not only the sexual organs
themselves, but extends to the neighboring parts, in-
volving the skin of the buttocks and thighs and the
under part of the tail. The general system of the
animal is also affected very considerably. For exam-
ple, the cow, on the near approach of the oestrual
period usually loses her appetite and becomes very
restless. If feeding in a field, she will frequently sud-
denly stop grazing, and run rapidly from one side of
the field to the other, looking about in a startled un-
easy manner, and presenting every evidence of pecul-
iar excitement. This condition continues for two or
three days, when the animal returns to her natural
condition again.

A fact of significance which may be mentioned
here is that the female of these animals will not allow
the approach of the male except during or just after
the oestrual period, which careful observation has
shown to be the only time when sexual contact is
likely to be fruitful. The bearing of this important
fact will be referred to elsewhere.

In the human female, ovulation is accompanied by

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 63

changes very similar to those which occur in lower
animals as just described. The following is a descrip-
tion of the changes which occur as given by Dalton : —

" The menstrual discharge consists of mucus
mingled with blood. When the period is about to
come on, the female is affected with a certain degree
of discomfort and lassitude, a sense of weight
in the pelvis, and more or less disinclination to
society. These symptoms in some instances are
slightly pronounced, in others more troublesome.
An unusual discharge of vaginal mucus then begins to
take place, soon becoming yellowish or rusty-brown
in color, from the admixture of a certain proportion of
blood ; and by the second or third day, the discharge
has the appearance of nearly pure blood. The un-
pleasant sensations, at first manifest, then usually sub-
side ; and the discharge, after continuing for two or
three days longer, grows more scanty, its color chang-
ing from red to a rusty or brownish tinge until it
finally disappears, and the period comes to an end.

" The menstrual epochs of the human female cor-
respond with the periods of oestruation in the lower
animals. Their general resemblance to these periods
is very evident. Like them, they are absent in the
immature female, and begin to take place only at the
period of puberty, when the aptitude for impregna-
tion commences. Like them, they recur during the
child-bearing period at regular intervals, and are lia
ble to the same interruption by pregnancy. Finally,
their disappearance corresponds with the cessation of
fertility.

64 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

"The period of oestruation in many of the lower ani-
mals is accompanied with an unusual discharge from
the generative passages, frequently more or less
tinged with blood. In the human female, the bloody
discharge, though more abundant than in other in-
stances, differs only in degree from that in many
species of animals."

During menstruation, the uterus and ovaries are
considerably increased in size by the physiological
congestion to which they are subjected. This natur-
ally gives rise, in most cases, to an increased activity
of the reproductive instinct, as in lower animals. The
nature of the menstrual flow has been the subject of
much speculation. As before stated, it consists of
the natural secretions of the vagina and uterus, which
are greatly augmented in quantity, mingled with more
or less blood, in many cases consisting chiefly of
blood. When present only in a normal quantity, it
has been observed that menstrual blood does not coag-
ulate. This fact has led to the supposition that the
blood of the menstrual discharge is different from that
of the body in general ; but very careful investigation
of the matter shows that this peculiarity of menstrual
blood is the result of its mixture with the acid secre-
tions of the vagina, by which its coagulation is pre-
vented. This view is sustained by the fact that when
the blood is present in large quantity it does coagu-
late, just as when^ discharged from any other part of
the body.

Whether or not the menstrual discharge is to any
degree an excretion, is a question not yet well settled ;

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 65

but it is perhaps probable that the secretion of the
utricular glands, which are found very abundant in
the lining of the cavity of the uterus, is to some ox-
tent, at least, an excretory product. The serious dis-
turbances of the general system which are occasioned
by a sudden suppression of the menstrual flow, sup-
port this idea. Further support of the same notion
is given by the fact that the secretion of urea by the
kidneys is diminished fully one-fifth during menstrua-
tion. It is not to be supposed, however, that the
menstrual discharge possesses anything of the ex-
tremely noxious character attributed to it by the
ancients, who supposed it to possess the power to blight
everything with which it came in contact, even vege-
tation being said to wither and droop within a few
hours after being exposed to its influence.

The length of time that the flow continues varies
considerably in different individuals. In some wo-
men the flow is present only one or two days, while
in others it continues from five to eight days without
any apparent injury to health. The average is
probably about four days. The amount of the dis-
charge has been variously estimated, some placing it
at three or four ounces, and others as high as seven-
teen ounces, or more. It is probable that the smaller
estimate is about the average amount in healthy fe-
males. It has been observed that the flow is more
abundant in women of indolent or sedentary habits
than in those accustomed to active labor ; also in per-
sons of feeble constitutions than those of robust health.
It is also stated that the average amount of the dis-

66 THE LADIES GUIDE.

charge is greater in women residing in cities than in
those who reside in the country or in country vil-
lages.

The origin of the blood is the interior of the
uterus, from the walls of which it exudes very much
like perspiration from the surface of the body. For
several days previous to the occurrence of the dis-
charge, the mucous membrane of the uterus has been
found to undergo peculiar changes, increasing to sev-
eral times its usual thickness, and undergoing a sort
of fatty degeneration, by which the walls of the cap-
illaries are weakened to such an extent as to allow
the passage of the blood through them. This change
in the character of the mucous membrane of the
uterus is undoubtedly a sort of preparation for the re-
ception of the ovum, which is becoming matured at
the same time, preparatory to its passage into the
uterus.

A considerable portion of the menstrual discharge
consists of epithelium which has been softened and
exfoliated. Sometimes the epithelium is thrown ojF
in the form of large patches, which frequently have
the appearance and consistency of membrane, an<J
which is occasionally so extensive as to present a
cast of the inside of the uterus. This has led to the
erroneous belief that the mucous membrane of the
uterus is actually thrown off at each menstrual pe-
riod. 'This is not so, however, even in cases of what
is known as membranous di/smenorrhoea, in which what
appears to be the mucous lining of the uterus is sim-
ply a false membrane somewhat similar to the mem-
branous formation in croup.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 67

The ancients held many very singular notions
respecting the function of menstruation, among
which was the idea that the moon exerted a powerful
influence over this function. This notion has retained
its hold on the popular mind more or less even to the
present time. It has in fact been so firmly held by
some, that an eminent French astronomer a few years
ago thought it worth his while to devote several
years to a careful study of the subject. After mak-
ing several thousand observations, he stated as the
result of his study that no relation whatever could be
traced between the menstrual function in women and
the phases of the moon.

Vicarious Menstruation. — In some cases in
which the regular menstrual flow is suppressed or ab-
sent, the discharge of blood takes place from some
other part of the body, as from the nose and lungs or
stomach and bowels, or even from the surface. This
discharge has been termed vicarious menstruation.
The flow of blood which occurs in these cases cannot
"he considered as a natural menstrual discharge. The
condition is one of disease, and will be considered
elsewhere.

Fecundation. — The process by which the male
and female elements of generation are united to form
the embryo of the new individual, is termed fecun-
dation. This is a process of so great interest from a
physiological stand-point that it will be well worth
while to consider it at some length, studying the
mode in which it takes place in lower forms of life,
and lower animals, as well as in human beings • At

68 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

the lower limit of the scale of life, are found numer-
ous species of plants and animals which consist of a
single cell. Although, in some of the simpler forms,
the different individuals of the same species are to all
appearance exactly alike, there being no physical
characteristics by which to distinguish the sexes,
there is evidence for believing that the property of
sex is possessed by these minute creatures, since it
has been observed that reproduction does not take
place without the occurrence of a process essentially
the same as that of fecundation in higher animals.
In the case of these lower forms, however, the process
of fecundation involves the whole individual, rather
than a minute element produced by either sex. In
studying this process, a male and a female cell, both
so nearly alike that no distinguishing features can be
discovered by the most powerful microscope, may be
seen to approach each other, and soon after coming
in contact, to become so completely united as to form
one homogeneous cell. Soon after this takes place,
the one individual thus formed begins to subdivide,
first separating into two halves, each half again sub-
dividing in the same manner until a large number of
individuals are formed from the original two, or from
the one individual formed by the union of the first
two. In this class of creatures, fecundation involves
the loss of the identity of the parents. This form of
fecundation or reproduction is illustrated on Plate I,
Fig. 3. The rapidity with which the process above
described may occur is truly astonishing. In a spe-
cies of the protococcus which sometimes appears in win-

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 69

ter, covering in some instances large tracts of coun-
try, producing the remarkable phenomenon of green
snow, the multiplication is so rapid that more than
60,000 individuals may be produced from a single
pair in one hour, and in thirty minutes more time a
number exceeding that of the inhabitants of the
globe.

In the higher orders of plants we observe a pro-
cess of fecundation of a much higher type. The male
and female elements of generation are produced by
flowers, which are the sexual organs of plants. In
many cases, the two elements are produced by dis-
tinct flowers, either from the same plant or from sepa-
rate plants, although in some cases the two elements
are produced. by differ^ ft parts the same flower.
The male element is knovr to the botanist as the
pollen, which is produced by the anthers, usually borne
at the top of long filaments termed stamens. By va-
rious means, chiefly through the agency of the wind
and the visits of insects from flower to flower, the
pollen is carried from the male flower or the male
parts of flowers to the end of the pistil or pistils of
the female flowers, on which the little pollen grains
are lodged when the process of fecundation begins.
A little sprout is sent out from the pollen grain and
down through the pistil of the flower to the ovary at
the base of the pistil, in which is secreted a little cell
or a number of minute cells, corresponding to the
ovum of female animals. When the ovum is reached
by the little filament from the pollen grain, the
process of fecundation is completed, and the pro-

70 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

cess of development begins, and in due time results in
the production of a perfect seed, from which another
plant may be produced. The reproductive organs of
plants and the process of fertilization are well rep-
resented on Plate IIL

The devices of nature for accomplishing the act
of fecundation in plants are so marvelous as to be al-
most incredible. The following graphic description
of the process we quote as a concise statement of the
results of the most recent scientific investigations : —

" Deep hidden within the flower's heart lies the
little nursery where the seeds are born ; most cun-
ningly the pistil and the stamens watch each other
like true lovers for a greeting; tenderly the petals
close around them in the cool, and open through fit
hours of sunlight. And when the stamens and the
pistil cannot meet directly, but the message must be
borne by insect rovers, then the complication of con-
trivance to secure the transport of the message al-
most exceeds belief. The pollen must be brought
from a certain spot in one flower and left on a certain
spot within another. Says one, speaking of Darwin's
investigation of the orchids : ' Moth-traps and spring-
guns set on these grounds, might be the motto of
these flowers. There are channels of approach, along
which the nectar-loving insects are surely guided, so
as to compel them to pass the given spots ; there are
adhesive plasters nicely adjusted to fit their proboscides
or to catch their brows, and so unload their pollen-
burden ; sometimes, where they enter for the honey,
there are hair-triggers carefully set in their necessary

PLATE III.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 71

path, communicating with explosive shells that pro-
ject the pollen-stalks with unerring aim upon their
bodies;"

In all except the very lowest forms of animal life,
reproduction is performed by the union of a male and
female element produced by separate individuals or
by separate parts of the same individual, as in the
case of the higher plants. This is true even of the
minute infusoria, which have been demonstrated to
reproduce their species by means of eggs.

In some classes of animals, as the tape-worm, earth-
worm, snail, leach, and slug, the male and female ele-
ments are produced by the same individual, as is the
case with many flowers ; but with the single exception
of the tape-worm, the species mentioned require the
union of two individuals to secure the fecundation of
the female element.

The curious manner in which fecundation takes
place in the tape-worm is shown in Plate IX, Fig. 2.
The spermatozoa are discharged from the testicle by
an opening close beside the opening of the canal which
receives the numerous eggs from the ovary, which
constitutes the greater portion of each segment of the
body of this curious creature, and readily find their
way back into the interior of the segment, where the
process of fecundation takes place.

Animals of this class are known as hermaphrodites,
possessing, as they do, both male and female organs
of generation. As before remarked, however, the
earth-worm, leach, slug, and snail, which are also her-
maphrodites, require for fecundation the union of two

72 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

individuals. This is true of most of the true her-
maphrodites, and is probably also true of many her-
maphrodite flowers, the sexual organs of such flow-
ers being often so placed that self-fecundation is much
more difficult than fecundation by means of pollen
brought by the wind or insects from other flowers.

Some curious instances of true hermaphrodism or
double sex have been observed in human beings.
Most cases of hermaphrodism, so-called, are really
cases in which there is deformity of the sexual or-
gans producing a resemblance to the opposite sex,
the cause of which will be explained presently.
There are a few cases on record, however, in which
individuals have possessed in a degree of develop-
ment more or less complete, both male and female
organs of generation. This anomalous condition
would be very difficult of explanation if it were true,,
as was formerly supposed, that the testicles in the
male are the analogues of the ovaries in the female.
Some of our most eminent modern biologists, how-
ever, have disputed this view, which has been so long
held and considered thoroughly established, and some
observations have been made in the development of
the lower animals which have led to the conclusion
that the ovaries and testicles, while in a certain sense
analogues, are not really so in the same sense as are
the clitoris in the female and the corresponding organ
in the male. Among the most interesting of these
observations were those made by Van Beneden, who
studied with great care the development of polyps.
He found that the testicle in these animals is devel-

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 73

oped from the outer portion of the embryo, while the
ovaries are developed from the inner portion. This
is not true of organs which are morphologically iden-
tical. It is very probable that what is true in the
development of polyps is true also in the development
of higher animals and human beings. This accounts
for the existence of both sets of organs in human be-
ings, and throws some light on the nature of the fe-
cundating process, by suggesting the idea that the
male element of generation represents more specific-
ally one portion of the human organism, while the
female element represents more particularly another
portion, the union of the two making the complete
whole.

Peculiar Modes of Fecundation. — In all of the
instances thus far mentioned, fecundation takes place
within the body of the individual. In some classes
of animals, however, fecundation takes place outside
of the body. This is true of most fishes. At certain
seasons of the year, as is well known, the female fish,
loaded with ova, termed " spawn," visits certain local-
ities for the purpose of depositing her eggs. The
waters of certain rivers which empty into the sea are
sometimes densely crowded with fish seeking their
spawning grounds. Impelled by an imperious instinct,
they force their way against the most rapid currents,
leaping over obstacles, rushing through foaming
Tapids, never pausing even for a moment until their
destination has been reached. At the same time the
male fish, led by the same strong instinct, follows
closely in the wake of the female, and when she has

74 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

reached her destination, and deposited her eggs along
the gravelly bottom of some shallow stream, he de-
posits in the same spot the fecundating fluid or "milt.'*

In a few of the osseous fishes, fecundation takes
place by the union of the two sexes, as in higher
animals.

Jn reptiles, the ova are usually fecundated out-
side of the body of the female, as in fishes. In cer-
tain species of frogs, the male, instead of following
the female in order to deposite the fecundating fluid
at the same spot with the ova, as is done by most
fishes, mounts upon her back, and rides about until
she has deposited her eggs, at the same time deposit-
ing the fluid by which they are fecundated.

In all the animals known as " air-breathing ver-
tebrates," fecundation is performed by means of a
union of both sexes, the male element being deposited
in the generative passages of the female through the
means of the accessory generative organs of the male.
This stage of the process, known as copulation or
sexual congress, is usually accompanied in the female,
as in the male, by a discharge of fluid, the source of
which is the two glands situated near the mouth of
the vagina. This fluid was formerly supposed to
play an important part in the process of fecundation,
and was termed by Hippocrates, " female semen."
The act is also attended by an intense degree of con-
gestion of the whole sexual apparatus and intense
nervous action. The exact manner in which the
spermatozoa of the male find their way to the ovum
which is usually located high up in the generative

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 75

passages of the female, is not thoroughly understood.
Some observations have been made which lead to the
belief that the uterus, during the sexual act, is in a
state of unusual activity.

Some observers have described a peculiar suction
action on the part of the uterus by means of which
the seminal fluid might be drawn up into its cavity.
Something closely allied to this has been observed in
lower animals killed directly after the performance of
the sexual act. In some of these cases an active per-
istaltic movement has been noticed in the fallopian
tubes, the movement being in the downward direc-
tion, evidently for the purpose of facilitating the pas-
sage of the ovum to the cavity of the uterus. It is
quite possible that a movement of the uterus designed
to facilitate the entrance of the seminal fluid into its
cavity may take place, although it cannot be said that
such an action is thoroughly demonstrated. Indeed,
it is known that fecundation may take place when
there can be no such action on the part of the uterus,
owing to the fact that the female is entirely passive
during the sexual act. This is undoubtedly true
in most of the occasional cases of rape which have
been followed by pregnancy. Pregnancy has been
known to occur also as the result of sexual union in
which the female was unconscious, in deep sleep, or
under the influence of chloroform or a narcotic.

The fact that the action of the cilia of the epithe-
lial lining of the greater portion of the uterus and of
the fallopian tubes is in the downward direction, proT
ducing a more or less constant current toward the

76 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

mouth of the womb, leads to the conclusion that there
is some such action on the part of the uterus. It
may be considered possible, however, that the sperm-
atozoa find their way to the cavity of the uterus and
even higher up in the generative passages, by their
own efforts. It is well known that when capable of
fecundating the ovum, the spermatozoa are very act-
ive, and capable of propelling themselves in a suita-
ble fluid by means of their filamentous appendages.
The form and structure of the spermatozoon, or male
element of generation, in man and some lower animals,
is shown on Plate IV, together with human and other
ova in various stages of development.

The spermatozoa may come in contact with the
ovum either in the uterus, in some portion of the
fallopian tubes, or even at the surface of the ovary,
fecundated ova having been found in all these locali-
ties. After contact, a union of the spermatozoa and
the ovum seems to take place. In some lower ani-
mals a distinct opening in the membrane surround-
ing the yolk has been observed, and spermatozoa have
been seen crowding their way through this opening to
the interior of the ovum. No similar opening has
been seen in the ovum of the human female, but
there is evidence for believing that such an opening
exists, for it is well known that spermatozoa pene-
trate the wall of the ovum, or at least make their
way into the interior. It is possible, however, that
this may occur without an opening, as it is a well at-
tested fact that the embryos of trichina pass readily
through the mucous membrane of the intestines with-

HLATE IV

&;> . ;■

Trt

the L ijriw <!l WE,

■p .itij of I,o wonli, l.'.ulr to f ■» < oitcli -ion that tln-re

> -*oi.. * Mich »ift ••»"» <-ii '!>'* p. it of ;hf titeru^. It

HK'V l-i- i »';,-i V.vd jMX-sih!- , how^ 01. 'hat tin- ^pc i.t-

i*.<»/o;« !'• •; tin Lr wa\ 1 th-* -;n ity i>1* the utenH ami

•** **.» liiu! -I ui» in '!" •* m-rative passage;-, 1-y their

*.v :• • ti-.rts. it i> we 1 kii'»^n t * iii 1 when eapablo of

'' - •*"■ • *;,<Lr t!>t* o\« ,ii, tl e spern alozoa ;uv very aet-

I * ; pa- 1c -a' m\>p»*-HiiPjr fhem-elve^ in a suitn-

'I i.v I'»".hh >f U. lr fi! nm-ntous appembti».>.

*. •* t : i < 1 sn'iii^iii*: -if »h*' s|" rni;uozo(»n, or male

:* v* U'Tniio'i. in ■!:•", t)>.<! some lower animals,

■ « a Piat'*lV, t«cj fL r v>ith human and other

ur.\< Maue^ oi *h \ ■ '; iunc nt.

'• -p'-rn.-.io/i.a may ft-itu* in e< ntaet with the

i!iiT in thf 'i*.- -ms. ii. s^an portion of the

n tuh^-. or "\»n ..it ihr surfar* of the o\th*\ ,

. '■ ■ •*! ..\;» Lav;^ : <*fi. found in I'll tlmse loeali-

V* r iMV.H't. a UMioi if the spermatozoa and

. ' - op,, to take p!av.\ In some lower ani-

: * at <•• i ion ;n the m*-n hiaue surroiuui-

• '■ ,,-i-i. "-ii oi»N^r\o.: arv! ^p rmatozoa have

*•*■. muji' th-ur way through -Jus opening to

• • ' he ti.:;'ii. ^No similar oponlhir has

i o.ina of *"■: human female, but

* I'M* lh lieu- x thai sm-h ;m opening

v. * "' ki.owo il.tu j:* naalozoa pene-

•' '!■ • (v an. *•• j- 1 bve-t make their

: *:m\ It i.- ji * - ibu% however, that

* ■ ■■ rY-nf jMl ..jwiiimr,- >s it 's a well at-

,n>}.<\<- of fi*! hi mi pa<s readily
' - liunih; • ,-.' )f the intestines with-

PLATE IV;

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 77

out the aid of openings. Each ovum is penetrated by
a number of spermatozoa, though how many are re-
quired for fecundation is not known. Experiments
with the eggs of frogs have shown that so small a
quantity as three grains of the male fecundating ele-
ment is sufficient for the fertilization of many thou-
sands of ova.

The Nature of Fecundation. — The process of
fecundation seems to be an actual molecular union of
the male and female elements exactly similar to what
we find in some of the lowest orders, in which the
male and female individual are wholly lost in the in-
dividual which they unite to form, and which after-
ward divides into a large number of progeny. Some
have supposed fecundation to be a sort of electrical
process, the male being the positive element, and the
female the negative. This theory is undoubtedly
visionary, but it is evident that the male element
supplies something which is necessary to enable the
ovum to undergo development, since complete devel-
opment cannot take place without fecundation, al-
though cases are on record in which the ovum has
developed to a considerable degree without the influ-
ence of the male element. It has also been suggested
that the male element supplies a sort of necessary
nutriment to the ovum, by which its development
becomes possible. The suggestion first made is
probably the correct one; viz, that the ovum and
spermatozoa each contain certain germinal elements
necessary for the formation of the new individual,
neither being complete in itself. The only objection

78 THE LADIES* GUIDE.

to this theory is the fact that a large number of sperm-
atozoa are apparently required for the fecundation of
a single ovum. At any rate, it is well known that in
the case of some of the lower animals, as, for ex-
ample, the frog, a very large number of spermatozoa
enter each ovum and disappear in its interior, be-
coming amalgamated with its elements.

It has been suggested that the sex of progeny
may depend to a considerable degree upon the number
of spermatozoa which unite with the ovum, a certain
number being sufficient to produce males and a
smaller number females. The resemblance of children
to their father or mother has also been accounted for
in the same way ; a large number of spermatozoa
uniting with the ovum producing a preponderance of
the male characteristics of the sex, and a lesser num-
ber the contrary.

It is useless to devote space to a discussion of the
relative importance of the male and female reproduc-
tive elements, since neither is capable of independent
development.

Conception. — There is considerable evidence for
believing that the union of the spermatozoa with the
ovum takes place in some portion of the fallopian
tubes. After this has been effected, the ovum usu-
ally soon passes down to the cavity of the uterus.
Sometimes, when fecundation occurs at the surface of
the ovary, the ovum loses its way, and remains in the
abdominal cavity. Its progress down the fallopian
tube is also occasionally stopped before it reaches the
uterus. The result of its arrest in these abnormal

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 79

positions will be referred to elsewhere. When the
ovum reaches the uterus, it soon becomes attached to
some portion of its wall, the mucous membrane hav-
ing been previously prepared for its reception by a
process of thickening and the formation of little
pockets, one of which receives the ovum, and to
which it becomes attached. The adhesion of the
ovum to the lining membrane of the uterus is known
as conception. This usually takes place without the
knowledge of the individual, but some women claim
to be able to detect the moment at which conception
takes place by peculiar sensations, usually a slight
dizziness or faintness. From this time on, however,
in most cases, the ovum gives no indication of its
presence for some time, although very great changes
in both the uterus and the ovum are taking place.
These will be described presently.

It has been determined that conception is much
more liable to occur at certain times than at others.
In order that fecundation shall take place, it is of
course necessary that the ovum should be present in
the generative passage of the female either at the
time of sexual congress, or soon afterward. Just how
long the spermatozoa may remain active in the gener-
ative passages of the female, and capable of impreg-
nating the ovum, is not known, but it is certain that
they retain their vitality and efficiency for a number
of days after copulation. The ovum is also usually
retained for some days in some portion of the genera-
tive canal of the female, not usually passing off with
the menstrual discharge, but some days later. It is

80 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

probably retained from four to ten days after the ces-
sation of the menstrual flow. From these facts it is
evident that conception will be most likely to occur
a few days before or four to ten days after the men-
strual period. Many observations have shown that
with the majority of females, at least, conception is
not likely to occur during the interval between the
• periods named. This is known to be the case with
lower animals, and while it is not universally true of
human females, it holds good in a sufficient number
of cases to constitute a general law.

Usually but one ovum is produced at a time in
the human female. The same is true of the females
of many other classes of animals, as the elephant,
horse, and cow. In exceptional cases two or more
ova are matured at once, and under favorable circum-
stances may be fecundated, giving rise to multiple
conception. Cases are on record also which demon-
strate the fact that two conceptions may take place
with a longer or shorter interval between, both ova
undergoing development at the same time. This is
known as superfecundation. In one case observed by
a surgeon in the late war, a mulatto woman gave birth
to twins, one of which was nearly white, the other
much blacker than the mother. At the time of con-
ception the woman was employed as a domestic in
the house of a white man, while sleeping at night with
a negro husband. The latter was so thoroughly con-
vinced of her unfaithfulness by the sight of the white
child that he turned her out of doors, notwithstanding
her constant assertion of her innocence. Cases have

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 81

also occurred in which a woman has had two confine-
ments with an interval of several weeks, a period not
Jong enough to allow a new pregnancy to occur, but
long enough to show that the second pregnancy must
have taken place several weeks after the first. That
such a circumstance might occur is evidenced by the
fact that in some females menstruation continues sev-
eral months after conception occurs. As the mouth
of the womb remains open for some time, there is no
obstacle in the way of a second conception in such
cases.

Conception cannot of course occur before the pe-
riod of puberty, previous to which time the cells of
the ovaries from which the ova are developed, exist
only in a rudimentary condition, as shown by Plate
IV. The change known as puberty occurs at or near
the age of fifteen years, and conception may occur at
any time from this period until the menopause, or
change of life, which usually occurs sometime between
the ages of forty-five and fifty. Cases are on record
in which the ability to conceive has been acquired
much earlier or retained until a much later period
than the ages mentioned. In one observed case, a
girl became a mother at eight, and an instance is
given, which seems to be well authenticated, of the
occurrence of conception after sixty.

A large number of observations have shown that
conception is less likely to occur between the ages of
fifteen and twenty than between twenty and twenty-
four, so that women marrying young are less likely
to be fruitful than those marrying when more mature.

82 THE LADIE& GUIDE.

No point in biology is better settled than that the
mental, moral, and physical condition of the parents
at the time of conception may be impressed on the
offspring, and usually has an important influence on
the character of the progeny. The influence of the
male parent is particularly strong at this time, proba-
bly more so than that of the female, whose influence
over the offspring is fully as great ultimately, how-
ever, on account of the much longer time through
which it is exerted during gestation.

Heredity. — How mental, moral, and physical traits
of character are transmitted from the parents to the
offspring is a problem which has not yet been fully
solved, but there is no doubt as to the fact. Stock-
breeders well recognize the truth of this principle,
and frequently take advantage of it. Strong im-
pressions made on the mother soon after conception
has occurred, are likely to exert a strong influence
on the child. The patriarch Jacob seems to have un-
derstood this physiological fact, and to have made use
of it to his own advantage while caring for the flocks
of Laban, as we learn from the following passage : —

" And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of
the hazel and chestnut tree, and piled white streaks
in them, and made the white appear which was in the
rods. And he set the rods which he had piled before
the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when
the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive
when they came to drink. And the flx>cks conceived
before the rods, and brought forth cattle, ringstreaked,
speckled, and spotted."

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 83

Another interesting fact which has been observed
is, that an impression more or less permanent seems
to be made on the female by the first pregnancy,
so that the offspring of subsequent conceptions are
made to partake of the characters of the male by
whom the first conception occurred. On this account,
breeders of blooded animals are very careful to avoid
employing an inferior male, especially for the first time
that the animal is made to become pregnant, since all
subsequent offspring would be likely to partake of the
characters of the inferior male first employed. The
same thing is often observed in human beings : a wo-
man marries the second time after the death of her
first husband, and her children by her second hus-
band are very likely to resemble her first husband as
much as the second. The resemblance in the color of
the hair and eyes is often particularly noticeable. In
case a white woman has had children by a negro, but
afterward bears children to a white man, the latter
will be very sure to exhibit some of the characteris-
tics of the negro race in a marked degree.

Cause of Sex. — It was long supposed that the
right ovary in females and the right testicle in males
produced elements which when united in fecundation
would develop into males, while the elements pro-
duced by the left ovary and the left testicle would de-
velop into females. The erroneous character of this
theory has been amply shown by repeated instances, in
which the right testicle in man or the right ovary in
woman have been removed on account of disease,
without affecting the ability of either parent to pro-

84 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

create males as well as females. A corresponding
fact has been observed in cases in which the left
ovary has been removed. It is probable that the re-
lation of the ages of the parents to each other has
something to do with the determination of sex. For
example, when a young and vigorous man marries a
woman considerably older and less vigorous than him-
self, the offspring will be very likely to be males.
When the contrary is the case, that is, when a man
somewhat advanced in years and not in vigorous
health marries a young and vigorous female, the off-
spring are very likely to be females.

Careful observations have been made which seem
to show that the chief circumstance in the determina-
tion of the sex is the time in relation to ovulation
when fecundation takes place. The evidence is pretty
strong that when fecundation of the ovum occurs very
soon after menstruation, the offspring will be of the
female sex ; while fecundation occurring several days
later, just before the ovum would naturally leave the
generative passages of the female if not fecundated, is
pretty certain to result in male offspring. It is thus
possible to predict with some degree of certainty
whether the result of conception will be a male or fe-
male, by noting the time with reference to menstrua-
tion when conception occurs.

The idea has been advanced that the sex of a child
is determined by influences brought to bear on the
embryo after fecundation, but many facts in natural
history go to show that the sex of the progeny is de-
termined at fecundation, and there is great probability

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 85

that the theory stated in the preceding paragraph is
the correct one. There must be also some reason for
the theory, since it essentially agrees with the obser-
vation previously mentioned with reference to the in-
fluence of the relation of the ages and physical con-
dition of the parents on the offspring. The ovum
just ready to be cast off, might well be compared
to the female advanced in years, and fresh spermato-
zoa to the young and healthy male married to such a
female.

It is perhaps possible also that the number of
spermatozoa which penetrate the ovum has some-
thing to do with the determination of sex, as well as
other physical characteristics.

The Beginning of Life. — The moment fecunda-
tion is completed — the process seems to be instan-
taneous— the life of the new individual is begun.
Within a very few hours great changes take place in
the ovum, which wrill be described presently. What
was formerly a mere speck of fat and albumen sur-
rounded by a delicate film, is now destined to become,
under favorable circumstances, a fully developed hu-
man being. This little speck contains all the possibil-
ities of the future of the individual man or woman to»
be developed from it. From being a mere cell, it has
now come to be a human being, of very small dimen-
sions, it is true, but possessed of as indubitable rights,
as much worthy of respect, as though it were a ma-
tured man or woman.

The idea held by the ancients that individual life
did not begin until the change known as "quickening"

86 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

occurred, has no basis whatever in fact. No especial
change takes place in the embryo at the period
known as quickening. Whatever individuality the
human being possesses exists in rudimentary form in
the ovum, immediately after fecundation hits taken
place. From this time no radical change occurs. We
have simply a process of unfolding and development,
which continues until the man or woman has reached
full maturity. The immediate bearing of this fact in
relation to the means adopted to avoid pregnancy and
the crime of abortion, will be considered elsewhere.

PREQNHECY OR GESTHTION.

After fecundation, and during the subsequent
process of its development, the ovum is treated
in various ways by different classes of animals.
Many animals, as is the case with many reptiles,
deposite the fecundated eggs in the sand or in
some secluded location, and give them no further at-
tention. Fishes usually deposit their eggs, and then
allow their young to shift for themselves when
hatched. There are, however, some very notable and
interesting exceptions to this method of treating the
young among fishes and reptiles. For example, Prof.
Wyman gives an account of a South American fish
which carries its eggs in its mouth until long after the
young are hatched. In one instance, he found a
young fish nearly three inches long in the mouth of
its parent. This office seems to be usually performed
by the male, who plays the part of nurse for the

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 87

young of its mate. The number of eggs usually found
in the mouth of these fish during the breeding season
is twenty to thirty. The question would naturally
arise, how can the fish eat when its mouth is thus
employed as a nursery, without swallowing its prog-
eny? Prof. Wyman answers this question by stat-
ing the fact that he has frequently found among the
eggs filling the mouth of the fish those of other vari-
eties of fish — rarely, however, more than one or two
of other species — which leads him to the conclusion
that the eggs are allowed to escape from the mouth
for a short time while the fish is feeding, being after-
ward gathered up again.

A curious fish known as the hippocampus, or "sea-
horse," affords a similar instance of the male acting
as a nurse for its young. The males of these fishes are
furnished with a pouch upon the lower surface of the
body behind the anal opening, in which the eggs of
the female are carefully placed and cared for until
hatched.

The continent of Europe is the home of a curious
species of reptile known as the " obstetric toad," the
male of which attaches the eggs of the female to his
legs, carrying them about with him until they are
hatched.

Naturalists give numerous illustrations of care for
their young on the part of fishes and reptiles. For
example, Prof. Wyman describes a female fish which
carries her eggs carefully arranged along the lower
surface of her body, each one attached to a cup at the
end of a cylindrical thread. The same naturalist

88 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

mentions a somewhat similar peculiarity observed in
the " swamp toad." After the eggs are laid by the
female and fecundated by the male, the latter ar-
ranges them one by one at regular intervals on the
back of the former. In due time, a thin wall of skin
grows up around them by which they are inclosed
and protected.

A species of tree-frog carries about iW young ones
on its back; the little fellows hanging on by their
mouths .

Another species of tree-frog has a little pouch on
its back in which the male carefully stows away the
eggs, which are thus cared for until hatched.

Fishes and reptiles usually "lay eggs" either
before or after fecundation ; but in a few cases, the
young are brought forth alive, and a single case has
been observed in which a snake has laid eggs -end
brought forth living young at the same time.

In the human female, as in the females of all the
mammalia, the fecundated ovum is retained during its
development. This process usually takes place in
the uterus, though, as we shall presently see, it may
occur elsewhere.

As before stated, while the ovum is becoming
matured anil ready to be cast off from the avary, the
mucous membrane of the uterus is undergoing a change
preparatory to receiving the ovum in case it shall
become fecundated. After fecundation takes place,
the ovum attaches itself to the wall of the uterus, and
* changes at once begin in both the ovum and the
womb to which it is attached. We will describe first
the changes which take place in the latter.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 89

Changes in the Uterus. — After conception, the
uterus at once begins to increase in size. The physi-
ological congestion which occurs periodically at men-
struation &nd momentarily during the sexual act, be-
comes now a permanent condition to be continued for
several months. The enormous increase in size of
the uterus is the result of this increase of the blood
supply. The muscular fibres of the uterus, which
are of the unstriated variety and very small in the un-
impregnated state, become enormously developed.
I. The blood channels,, which are also small, become

<lilated, in the case of the veins, to an enormous ex-
tent, so as to form sinuses.

Changes also take place in the nerve centers from
which the uterus derives its nerve supply, especially
those of the organic system, which likewise partici-
pate in the development which occurs in* the other
parts of the generative apparatus.

The most remarkably changes of all, however,
take place in the mucous membrane lining Ihe interior
^A of the uterus. Something of the character of these
H changes is shown in Figs. 1 to 5, Plate VI. In the un-
W impregnated state, the npeous lining of the uterus is
f very thin and scantily supplied with blood-vessels.

After conception occurs, the membrane becomes
greatly thickened, and its blood-vessels enlarjge and
increase in number with great rapidity. These
changes soon give to the membrane a velvety appear-
^ ance. The activity in the development of the mem-

l brane is particularly great in the immediate vicinity

<rf the ovum, around which folds of membrane soon
r

90 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

begin to project forward, and very shortly meet over
the free surface of the ovum, grow together, and thus
completely inclose it. The ovum is now shut up in
a cavity by itself, distinct from the general cavity of
the uterus.

The remaining changes of the greatest importance
which occur are in the ovum itself together with its
inclosing membrane, which has been formed from the
uterine mucous membrane, and which may be now
considered as a part of the developing ovum.

Development of the Ovum During Gestation. —
Immediately after fecundation, the ovum begins to
grow, and subdivisions take place in its interior.
This process is known as segmentation. The nature
of the change will be readily understood by reference
to Figs. 1 to 6, Plate IV. After this process has gone
on for some time, a large number of cells have been
formed within the ovum. These cells unite together
at the surface of the yolk, forming a sort of membrane,
on which presently appears a straight line which is
termed the Primitive Trace. It is, in fact, a sort of
furrow, the sides of which gradually grow up and
close above it, subsequently forming the spinal canal
of the embryo. The appearance of the primitive
trace, as shown by the microscope, may be seen in
Fig. 2, Plate VII. Some cases have been observed in
the examination of lower animals in which the primi-
tive trace has been double or divided at one of the
extremities. This is supposed to be an explanation
of the manner in which double monsters are formed.
Subdivision of the trace in the end destined to form

Fig. t—S/ames* Tw'nt*

Fig. 4.

PLATE VII.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 91

the head, as shown in Fig. 3, Plate VII, would give
rise to a monster with one pair of legs and one trunk,
but with two heads. If the division extended to
near the middle of the primitive trace, the succeed-
ing development would result in the formation of a
monster with one pair of legs but two trunks more or
less completely separated. A trace forked at the end
destined to form the inferior portion of the body
would result in a monster having one head and trunk
with two pairs of legs. Two complete primitive
traces united at the center by a band as shown in
Fig. 4, Plate VII, would result in embryos, joined to-
gether like the Siamese Twins. The manner in
which the internal structures of these curious individ-
uals were united is shown in Fig. 1, Plate VII.

The membrane of which the primitive trace is
formed divides into an inner and an outer layer, be-
tween which is formed another layer which again sub-
divides into two, making four layers in all. From
these different layers all of the different parts of the
individual are developed, the outer nyers going to
form the skin, muscles, bones, and nerves ; while the
inner layers form the walls of the alimentary canal
and other internal parts of the body. Thus certain
groups of cells are set apart for one kind of work,
while to other groups are allotted other functions.
One group forms the liver, another the kidneys, an-
other the spleen, another the pancreas. Each group,
when its development is completed, performs a func-
tion peculiar to itself. Still other groups form the
brain, and when their development is complete, per-

92 THE LADIES' Gt/IDE.

form the various offices required for the production of
thought, the reception of impressions, and the control
of the operations of the body. The various foldings,
ingro wings, projection of various parts and absorption
of other parts, subdivisions, and other complicated
processes by which the development of the individual
is completed, we shall not attempt to trace, as infor-
mation of this kind is too technical to be interesting to
the general reader. Some points of special interest
will be noted, however. One of the most remarkable
of these is the fact that a human being in the process
of development passes through various stages, each
of which represents the permanent condition of some
class of lower animals.

The alimentary canal, as first produced, is simply
a straight tube, a form in which it permanently exists
in such animals as the eel. After a time, dilations
occur in the upper and the lower portion, which ulti-
mately form the stomach and the large intestine. The
convolutions of the small intestine are formed by
lengthening the canal. The upper dilation — the stom-
ach— is usually on the left side of the body ; while the
most dilated part of the expanded portion, which ulti-
mately forms the ccecum, is placed at the right and
lower portion of the abdominal cavity. Cases some-
times occur in which this arrangement is reversed.
When this happens, a corresponding reversion occurs
in the position of all the other organs contained
within the trunk of the body, the liver being upon
the left side instead of the right, the heart transposed
to the right side, and other corresponding changes oc-

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 93

curring. We met a case of this kind a few years ago
in a young girl whom we were treating for scrofulous
disease, whose heart we were led to examine by com-
plaint of the occurrence of palpitation. After seeking
in vain for the presence of the heart in its usual loca-
tion, we were astonished to find it beating vigorously
and without any evidence of disease, on the right side,
several inches from its normal position. The idea
has been suggested that this peculiarity is more likely
to be present in left-handed people than in others, the
disposition to use the left hand rather than the right
growing out of the abnormal position of the internal
organs.

The heart, like the alimentary canal, is at first a
straight tube, which, by twisting around itself and
undergoing various other changes by which it is di-
vided by longitudinal and transverse partitions into
four chambers, finally becomes developed into the
heart as found in adults.

The arms and legs are at first simply little buds
projecting from the sides of the embryo. As they
grow out, their tips are subdivided into rudimentary
fingers and toes. Still further development results
in the formation of joints and the various segments
of the arms and legs. In different classes of lower
animals, the developmental process seems to stop
short at different stages. In the seal, the feet of
which are webbed, development ceases when the sub-
division of the original bud has occurred only in part.
The same thing is observed sometimes in human be-
ings, in which the fingers and toes are often found

94 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

more or less united, in some cases being joined to
their tips. In the walrus, the limbs consist of little
more than a wrist and ankle, with fingers and toes at-
tached. With animals a little higher in the scale,
the limbs are a little more fully developed. Most
quadrupeds possess knee and elbow joints. The
lion, panther, and other members of the feline species
have still more perfectly developed limbs, while in
the highest apes the limbs are nearly as free in their
movements as in human beings.

As before remarked, we have in the process of de-
velopment of the human embryo types of all these pe-
culiarities of structure observed as permanent condi-
tions in the lower animals. The human embryo, dur-
ing the earlier stages of its development, cannot be
easily distinguished from the embryo of various
lower animals. This is readily shown by the figures
on Plate E, which show the resemblance between
the embryo of the dog at four and six weeks and the
human embryo at four and eight weeks, respectively,,
to be so close that a casual observer would pronounce
them to be identical. It will be observed that at
this early period of their existence human beings are

furnished with caudal appendages, as well as lower
animals. In later stages of development, this por-
tion of the body gradually disappears until in the
mature human form it is represented by a mere ves*
tige termed the coccyx. +

The formation of the face in the embryo is a very
interesting process. Like the abdominal and thoracic
cavities, the cavities of the nose and mouth are formed

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 95

by the closing together of folds or plates of tis-
sue which project from the side and gradually ap-
proach each other. When the process of closing to-
gether is not quite complete, a deformity known as
harelip results. If the deficiency affects the bony
cells and soft tissues, an opening is left through the
roof of the mouth, which is termed cleft-palate.

Arrest of development may occur at any of the
various stages of the process just described. This
may involve the embryo as a whole or one or
more parts only, while other parts are allowed to go
on to full development. It is in this way that con-
genital deformities arise. The causes of arrest of de-
velopment are not very well understood.

It should be mentioned in this connection that arrest
of development or abnormal development, which also
sometimes occurs, are the leading causes of those
hideous creatures to which women sometimes give
birth, known as monsters. The stories of females
becoming pregnant by dogs and other animals, and
giving birth to offspring resembling the supposed
fathers, undoubtedly originated in the birth of mon-
sters, which were like other human embryos during
the first stages of development, but by an arrest of
development are born with a resemblance to some
lower animal. It is impossible for a human ovum to
be fecundated by other than human spermatozoa.

Hermaphrodites^ or persons supposed to possess
the sexual organs of both sexes, are, as a rule, simply
cases of arrested or exaggerated development. In-
stances are very rare in human beings in which both

96 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

ovaries and testicles are found in the same individual,
but numerous cases have been observed in which cer-
tain parts of the sexual organs of the female were so
abnormally developed as to produce a striking resem-
blance to the organs of the male, and the reverse.

Nourishment of the Embryo. — Soon after the
segmentation of the ovum and the formation of layers
of cells or membranes at its surface, that portion of it
lying next to the uterine wall undergoes a peculiar
development. Little vascular loops are formed which
interlace with similar loops formed on the surface of
the lining of the uterus. These loops become so
closely united with each other that the blood-vessels
of the ovum, which begin to form at a very early
stage, and those of the uterus have only a very thin
partition between their walls. Through this delicate
membrane the nutritive fluids of the mother's blood
pass readily into the ovum. After the circulation of
the ovum is fully developed, the blood corpuscles of
the mother and those of the embryo are by this ar-
rangement allowed to come very close to each other
without coming in actual contact. The blood corpus-
cles of the mother never pass into the veins of the
child, nor vice versa. If any such change did occur, it
could be readily detected, as the blood corpuscles of
the embryon are of a different size from those of the
mother. The interchange of fluids between the em-
bryo and the mother takes place very readily, how-
ever, by means of the arrangement briefly described
above, which is known as the placenta.

As the embryo advances in development, it be-

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 97

comes separated from the placenta, but retains con-
nection with it by means of the umbilical cord, which
contains two arteries and a vein. The arteries con-
vey blood from the embryon, or foetus, to the placenta
from which it is returned by means of the veins.
During the passage of the foetal blood through the
placenta, it undergoes a double change, receiving
from the blood of the mother nutritive elements by
which the process of development may be maintained,
and giving back to the mother's blood in exchange
the impurities and excrementitious elements which
have been derived from the foetus. This intimate
association between the foetus and the mother through
the blood explains the mysterious influence of the
former upon the latter which has been before referred
to. It is undoubtedly in this way that the impres-
sions are made which give rise to the curious circum-
stance previously mentioned, that the children by
a second husband frequently resemble the former hus-
band in both character and features. Experiments
upon animals show that the mother may be affected
even fatally by poisonous substances introduced into
the body of the foetus. Cases are also frequent in
which the mother contracts constitutional disease from
a foetu* which has inherited the same from its father.
This is particularly true of syphilis. This relation of
the circulation of the foetus with that of the mother
also explains to some degree at least, the remarkable
influence which is exerted upon the foetus by the
physical and mental condition of the mother.

98 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

Respiration of the Foetus. — How the process of
respiration could be carried on in the unborn infant
was for a long time a matter of deep mystery, but it
is now very well understood that the placenta is for
the foetus an organ of respiration as well as of nutri-
tion. The blood of the foetus is carried to the pla-
centa through the umbilical arteries, charged with car-
bonic acid gas, and coming into close proximity, in
the placenta, with the blood of the mother, — which,
through exposure to the air in the mother's lungs,
has become charged with oxygen, — an interchange
takes place, the carbonic acid gas being absorbed by
the blood of the mother, and the oxygen by that of
the foetus, so that the foetal blood returns in the um-
bilical vein purified and oxygenated, just as the blood
returns from the lungs to the heart in the adult indi-
vidual. With this fact in view, it is unnecessary to
suggest the importance of securing to the mother an
abundant supply of fresh air, since she has to breathe
for the foetus as well as for herself. This point will
be dwelt upon more at length elsewhere.

The Foetal Pulse. — The action of the foetal heart
can be distinctly heard through the abdominal walls
of the mother, after the fourth or fifth month. In
some cases the beating of the foetal heart has been
traced as early as the end of the eleventh week. In
order to observe the feeble sounds which are produced
by the yet imperfectly developed heart of the foetus,
the ear must be placed upon that portion of the ab-
dominal wall directly over the heart. The point at
which the sounds may be most easily distinguished

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY, 99

in the majority of cases is a little to the left of the
median line, about half way between the umbilicus
and the symphysis pubis. The rate of the foetal
pulse varies from 130 to 160 a minute.

A large number of observations have shown that
the pulse of female infants is more rapid than that of
males, so that this may be a means of distinguishing
between male and female children before they are
born. The average rate in females is about 144 per
minute; in males, 131.

Position and Condition of the Child in the
Womb. — During the early months of gestation, the
condition of the child varies considerably. As the
end of pregnancy approaches, however, the position
becomes more and more constant, and near the end
of gestation, in the majority of cases, the position of
the child in the womb is with the head downward,
and the back forward and to the left, with the limbs
in a state of flexion, as shown by reference to Fig. 1,
Plate IX.

Amniotic Fluid. — In order to protect the delicate
structures of the foetus from the unpleasant effect of
sudden jars to which the mother is liable to be sub-
jected, and for various other apparent reasons, it is not
made fast to the interior of the uterus, but floats, or
rather is suspended, in a sac filled with fluid, which fills
the whole of the interior of the distended womb not oc-
cupied by the foetus. This fluid, known as the amni-
otic fluid, or the "waters" varies considerably in quan-
tity, sometimes being so abundant as to amount to
dropsy, at other times being barely sufficient to

100 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

answer the purpose for which it was designed. This
fluid is very complex in its composition, at first resem-
bling very closely the serum of the blood, but as
pregnancy advances becoming more and more charged
with excretory matters thrown off by the skin and
kidneys of the foetus.

Summary of Development — TheB following is a
concise summary of the process of development at
different stages as given by Flint : —

" At the third week the embryon is from two to
three lines in length. This is about the earliest pe-
riod at which measurements have been taken in the
normal state.

"At the seventh week, the embryon measures
about nine lines ; points of ossification have appeared
in the clavicle and lower jaw; the wolffian bodies
are large ; the pedicle of the umbilical vesicle is very
much reduced in size ; the internal organs of genera-
tion have just appeared ; the liver is of large size ;
the lungs present several lobules.

" At the eighth week, the embryon is from ten to
fifteen lines in length. The lungs begin to receive a
small quantity of blood from the pulmonary arteries ;
the external organs of generation have appeared, but
it is difficult to determine the sex ; the abdominal
Avails have closed over in front.

" At the third month, the embryon is from two to
two and a half inches long and weighs about one
ounce. The amniotic fluid is then more abundant in
proportion to the size of the embryon than at any
other period. The umbilical cord begins to be

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 101

twisted; the various glandular organs of the abdo-
men appear ; the pupillary membrane is formed ; the
limitation of the placenta has become distinct. At
this time, the upper portion of the embryon is rela-
tively much larger than the lower portion.

" At the end of the fourth month, the embryon be-
comes the foetus. It is then from four to five inches
long and weighs about five ounces. The muscles be-
gin to manifest contractility; the eyes, mouth, and
nose are closed ; the gall-bladder is just developed ;
the fontanelles and sutures are wide.

"At the fifth month, the foetus is from nine to
twelve inches long and weighs from five to nine
ounces. The hair begins to appear on the head ; the
liver begins to secrete bile, and the meconium appears
in the intestinal canal ; the amnion is in contact with
the chorion.

" At the sixth month, the foetus is from eleven to
fourteen inches long and weighs from one and a half
to two pounds. If the foetus be delivered at this
time, life may continue for a few moments ; the bones
of the head are ossified, but the fontanelles and sut-
ures are still wide; the prepuce has appeared; the
testicles have not descended.

" At the seventh month, the foetus is from four-
teen to fifteen inches long and weighs from two to
three pounds ; the hairs are longer and darker ; the
pupillary membrane disappears, undergoing atrophy
from the center to the periphery ; the relative quan-
tity of the amniotic fluid is diminished, and the foetus
is not so free in the cavity of the uterus. The foetus
is now viable.

102 THE LADIES GUIDE.

" At the eighth month, the foetus is from fifteen
to sixteen inches long and weighs from three to four
pounds. The eyelids are opened, and the cornea is
transparent ; the umbilicus is at about the middle of
the body, the relative size of the lower extremities
having increased.

" At the ninth month, the foetus is about seven-
teen inches long and weighs from five to six pounds.
Both testicles have usually descended, but the tunica
vaginalis still communicates with the peritoneal cav-
ity.

" At birth, the infant weighs a little more than
seven pounds, the usual range being from four to ten
pounds, though these limits are sometimes exceeded."

We have known instances in which infants have
weighed scarcely more than three pounds at birth,
and yet have attained normal development afterward,
though requiring great care during the first few weeks
of life. Prof. Carpenter, of London, in his human
physiology refers to a case in which the weight at
birth was but one pound. At three and a half years
the weight had increased to about 30 pounds.

Length of Gestation. — The length of time re-
quired for the development of the young sufficiently
to enable them to exist outside the body of the
mother differs greatly in different classes of animals.
In the horse, the period of gestation is 335 days,
while the rabbit matures its young in the brief period
of 30 days. In the cow, about 280 days are required.
In the human female, the period intervening be-
tween conception and birth is about forty weeks or

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 103

ten lunar months. The exact length of the period in
an individual case cannot always be determined on
account of the difficulty of fixing the exact date of
conception ; but in those instances in which the cir-
cumstances have been such as to render the fixing of
the date of conception accurately, it has been found
to vary little from 275 to 280 days.

The period of gestation is frequently somewhat
shorter than this, many children being born from four
to six weeks before the usual time. If the period of
gestation is shorter than seven months, the foetus
will not be sufficiently developed to live. Infants
born before the full term of gestation require especial
care and the most careful nursing, and those born be-
fore the completion of the seventh month very sel-
dom survive birth more than a few days. The period
of gestation is sometimes extended two or three
weeks beyond the end of the tenth month. Cases
have been reported in which the period has been
much longer than this, but they are not considered
authentic.

Quickening. — The term quickening is applied to
the time when the mother for the first time becomes
conscious of the movements of the foetus within the
womb. This was formerly believed to be caused by
the sudden descent of the foetus from the uterus into
the pelvic cavity, but it is now well known to be
produced by the movements of the limbs of the child
when they come in contact with the walls of the
uterus.

This is generally felt about the beginning of the

104 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

fifth calendar month from the beginning of pregnancy,
or about the middle of gestation. There is no doubt
but that the limbs of the foetus move often and quite
vigorously before this period, but they are not felt
by the mother on account of the fact that not until
about this time does the uterus become sufficiently
enlarged to bring its walls in direct contact with the
walls of the abdomen. The body of the uterus con-
tains very few sensory nerve fibres, those being dis-
tributed in its neck, and it is only after the uterus
comes in contact with the abdominal wall so that the
shock of the foetal movements is communicated to
the latter tissue, which abounds in sensory fibres, that
the mother becomes conscious of the activity of the
developing embryo. These movements sometimes be-
come so vigorous as to give the mother absolute pain
so as to cause her to cry out in agony They are the
result of a vigorous kicking action on the part of the
foetus.

The period of quickening was formerly considered
one of great importance, but is now looked upon as of
very little significance except as forming positive evi-
dence of the existence of pregnancy. The idea that
at this time the foetus first becomes possessed of indi-
vidual life was long since exploded, and the laws re-
lating to criminal abortion which were based on this
ancient notion ought to have been repealed at least
half a century ago. As we have before shown, indi-
vidual life begins at the moment of fecundation, and
whatever rights the developing being may possess af-
ter the period of quickening, it certainly possesses be-
fore.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 105

Changes in the System of the Mother During
Gestation. — While the remarkable changes previously
described are occurring within the body of the mother,
it would certainly be very remarkable if some change
did not occur in the system at large in some small
degree, at least, commensurate in character. As a
general rule, the mother's attention is first called to
her condition by the fact that the usual monthly
sickness does not occur at the proper time, or, if it
does occur at all, the discharge is so slight as to be
hardly appreciable. There are cases, however, in
which menstruation occurs several times after con-
ception takes place, and in occasional instances, the
periodical discharge goes on during the whole period
of gestation. After a few weeks, in many instances,
general symptoms, affecting the nervous system
chiefly, make their appearance. After a short time,
the increase in size of the lower portion of the ab-
domen becomes apparent. The latter symptom of
course increases rapidly as pregnancy advances.

During pregnancy, a change more or less marked
takes place in the organic nervous system, the nerve
centers having charge of the function of nutrition tak-
ing on unusual activity, so that the blood-making and
tissue-building processes are carried on much more
vigorously than usual. It is owing to this fact that
many women enjoy better health during pregnancy
than at any other time.

The development of the muscular tissue of the
uterus as it increases in size has been already referred
to, as well as the great increase in number and size

106 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

of the uterine blood-vessels. The veins of the uterus
sometimes become so enormously distended that the
blood in. passing through- them produces a sound
somewhat similar to that produced by the passage of
blood through an aneurism. This is known as the
uterine souffle or bruit, which is one of the signs by
which a pregnant condition is distinguished.

During the period of development of the foetus,
preparatory to its exit into the external world, cer-
tain parts of the reproductive system of the mother
are also undergoing preparation for this same event.
In the normal condition of the vagina and the ex-
ternal organs of generation, child-birth would be im-
possible, as the soft parts would not admit of the
enormous distension required for the passage of the
head and pelvis of the child. During the later
months of pregnancy, these parts undergo certain de-
velopmental changes by which they are prepared for
the ordeal to which they are to be subjected. The
walls of the vagina become relaxed and thickened and
the canal shortened. The external parts also undergo
a similar relaxation. The secretions are greatly in-
creased in quantity, and the tissues formerly firm and
rigid become soft and distensible.

In addition to the changes above noted, which
usually occur, marked mental and nervous disturb-
ances are sometimes present during pregnancy.
These cannot be considered perfectly normal, how-
ever, and hence will more properly receive attention
elsewhere in this work.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 107

Extra- Uterine Pregnancy. — As previously inti-
mated, the ovum is sometimes fecundated at the surface
of the ovary, and for some reason does not reach its
proper position in the uterus before becoming fixed and
beginning development. It is well known that full de-
velopment may take place in other situations than the
uterine cavity. This is known as extra-uterine preg-
nancy. When the ovum after fecundation falls into the
cavity of the abdomen and becomes attached to some
portion of its lining membrane, there undergoing devel-
opment, the case is known as one of abdominal preg-
nancy. If the ovum lodges in the fallopian tubes and
there undergoes development, which is sometimes the
case, we have what is termed tubal pregnancy. Re-
cent investigations have also shown that in occasional
instances the ovum when fecundated at the ovary may
never leave its original situation, but may undergo
fecundation there, constituting ovarian pregnancy.
The course of pregnancy in these cases is very simi-
lar to that when the ovum is lodged in its normal
position. The subsequent dangers to the life of the
foetus aud of the mother which necessarily arise be-
fore the termination of gestation will be considered
elsewhere, together with the symptoms by which
these abnormal varieties of pregnancy may be known.

Parturition. — At the end of gestation, certain
causes, the exact nature of which is not fully under-
stood, give rise to the beginning of a process by which
the foetus is expelled from the womb where it has
been protected during the process of development.
It is probable that the occasion of this action on the

108 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

part of the womb is some change in the foetus or its
connections with the uterus by which the latter is led
to treat its contents, which it has heretofore tolerated
Avith the greatest impunity, as a foreign body which
must be expelled. The contractions of the uterus
cause a slight separation of the placenta from its
Avails, which greatly increases as the contractions con-
tinue. The membranes, pressing upon the lower
portion of the uterine cavity cause gradual dilation
of the cervix. After a time, the membranes rup-
ture, and the amniotic fluid is discharged, allow-
ing the head to come in contact with the neck of
the womb. With each pain, the head of the child,
in normal child-birth, is pressed down more and more
vigorously until it is finally expelled from the uterus
and shortly afterward from the vagina, making its
exit into the world. The separation of the pla-
centa of course causes a laceration of the blood-
vessels by which it is connected with the uterus.
This would occasion profuse hemorrhage, which might
prove fatal in a few moments, were it not for the fact
(hat the same contraction which occasions separation
of the placenta also closes the mouths of the lacerated
vessels. It sometimes happens that the uterus fails
to contract, particularly after the placenta is separated,
allowing the greatly dilated blood-vessels to remain
fully distended, thus giving rise to a most alarming
hemorrhage, which not infrequently occasions death
in a very short time if the proper measures are not
promptly applied.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 109

Involution. — Directly after the child is born, the
placenta and the membranes by which the foetus was
invested in the uterus, known as the after-birth, are
also expelled, and the act of parturition is complete.
In four to six days, seldom later than a week, after
child-birth, an examination of the uterus will show
that it has undergone a very great reduction in size.
This process, known as involution, continues until it
is reduced to very nearly its size when in a non-im-
pregnated state, although it never becomes quite as
small as before. The muscular fibres, which have
been enormously hypertrophied, undergo fatty degen-
eration, and are absorbed. A new membrane is soon
formed to take the place of the old one which was
thrown off at child-birth with the placenta, and by
the end of the second month, the process is complete.
A discharge usually follows child-birth, and continues
from one to three weeks, which is composed of bloody
serum mixed with disintegrated portions of membranes
and blood-clots from the cavity of the uterus, and is
termed the lochia.

Changes in the Child at Birth. — At the moment
of birth, a remarkable change takes place in the sys-
tem of the new-born infant. Previous to this time,
its lungs have been wholly inactive, the process of
respiration being performed by the placenta. In or-
der to carry on the processes of respiration, purifica-
tion, and nutrition, all of which functions have been
performed by the aid of the placenta, a pecul-
iar arrangement of the circulatory system has
been necessary, two arteries and a large vein

HO THE LADIES' GUIDE.

passing between the body of the foetus and the pla-
centa. When the placenta is separated from the uter-
ine walls, the circulation in the blood-vessels of the
cord at once ceases. Instantly, an accumulation of car-
bonic acid begins, and if some other means for the pu-
rification of the blood from this poison were not pro-
vided, death would occur within a few moments.
Just at this critical epoch, the lungs are brought into
action. Stimulated by the impending danger to the
system of the infant, or by contact of the body with
the external air, or by some other means not under-
stood, the lungs begin their important function. This
is not of course fully performed at once ; time is re-
quired for the lungs to become fully expanded and
able to do their whole duty in the elimination of car-
bonic acid gas and the absorption of oxygen. Fortu-
nately, the delicate skin of the infant, which is abun-
dantly supplied with blood-vessels, possesses the abil-
ity to transmit oxygen and carbonic acid gas, and is
able to supplement the excretory action of the lungs
to a very considerable degree. It is on this account,
as well as for other reasons, that it is of the highest
importance that the young infant should be kept for
some time at as nearly as possible the same tempera-
ture as that to which it has previous to its birth been
accustomed, or about 100° F., since the effect of cold
on the skin will be to cause contraction of the blood-
vessels and so prevent it from doing its part in the
breathing process. It is not necessary that the tem-
perature of the room should be 100° provided the in-
fant is properly clothed ; but the room should be 15°

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. m

to 20° higher than is necessary for adults, for the
first few days after birth.

In the adult, the blood is obliged to pass through
a double circuit in order to complete its tour of the
body. Starting from the left side of the heart, it is
distributed through the arteries, gathered up by the
veins, and returned to the right side of the heart,
completing the first circle or first half of its double
circuit. From the right side of the heart, — or, in some
of the lower animals, the right heart, the two halves
being distinct organs, — it is sent to the lungs, and
thence through the pulmonary veins to the left side,
its starting point. In the foetal condition, as the
lungs are not distended with air, little blood passes
through them from the right side of the heart to
the left side, so that some other provision is necessary
to enable the blood to complete its round. The in-
genious arrangement which nature has made for this
purpose is a valve-like opening in the partition be-
tween the right and left sides of the heart which
allows the blood to pass from the right side into
the left side, but does not allow a movement in
the opposite direction. This is known as the fora-
men ovale. This opening is placed in such a position
that the current of nearly pure blood that is brought
into the right auricle from the ascending vena cava
passes directly from it without mingling to any great
extent with the impure blood which is present in the
right auricle, and enters the left auricle, from which it
passes to the left ventricle, and is thence carried to
the head, arms, and upper part of the body. An-

112 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

other peculiar arrangement in the circulation of the
foetus is the connection between the pulmonary artery
and the aorta by which the greater portion of the
blood which would pass through the lungs if they
were in action, takes a short cut through the duct
provided for the purpose to the aorta, which it enters
below the openings of the arteries which supply blood
to the upper part of the body. This blood con-
sists chiefly of the venous blood returned from the
upper part of the trunk. It thus appears that the
upper part of the body of the foetus is provided with
pure blood or that which is nearly pure, containing
but a slight admixture of venous blood, while that
supplied to the lower portion of the body is much less
pure in character, being almost wholly venous blood.
This fact is given as an explanation of the inferior
development of the lower portion of the body at birth,
the legs and feet being much less perfectly devel-
oped than the arms and hands in the newly born child.
At birth, or soon after, this peculiar course in the
circulation of the child is interrupted by the closure
of the foramen ovale and the duct communicating be-
tween the pulmonary artery and the aorta. It occa-
sionally happens, however, that these openings re-
main unclosed, in consequence of which arterial and
venous blood continue to mingle as before birth,
giving the child a bluish appearance, a condition
termed cyanosis, or blue disease.

Development of the Body after Birth. — At birth,
the infantile human being has by no means arrived
at a state of complete development. The organs

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 113

of special sense, sight, hearing, and taste, as well
as the olfactory sense and the sense of touch, are
dull, and the degree of intelligence is small, much
less than in the young of many of the lower animals.
The development of the lower extremities is very
much inferior to that of the rest of the body, while
the head is very large in proportion. The following
table, showing the difference in proportion of the va-
rious parts of the body to the whole, in the foetus and
the adult, is interesting : —

Fotus at Term.

Adult.

E the entire body,

- 1000.00

1000.00

" brain,

- 148.00

23.00

" liver, -

37.00

29.00

" heart,

- 7.77

4.17

" kidneys,

6.00

4.00

" thyroid gland,

0.60

0.51

" thymus gland,

3.00

0.00

The arms and legs are curved upward and for-
ward ; the chest, abdomen, and all the joints are in a
semi-flexed position. The curve of the lower extrem-
ities causes the soles of the feet to look toward each
other instead of as in adults.

During the first few weeks of its existence, the
little creature does little more than eat and sleep.
Its actions are almost wholly if not entirely, auto-
matic or reflex in character. The movements of the
hands and feet as well as the act of suckling, and un-
doubtedly also the contortions of the face and its fre-
quent cries, are in no sense volitionary.

The remains of the umbilical cord begin to wither

114 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

within twenty-four hours after birth, and by the
third day are usually completely dried, after which
ulceration takes place at the point of connection with
the body by which it is separated and thrown off by
the end of the first week. In ten or twelve days the
raw surface left by the separation of the cord should
be entirely healed.

A short time after birth, the hair is shed and re-
placed by a new growth. This change involves the
eye-lashes and minute hairs of the body as well as
the head of the infant. In fact, according to Kol-
liker, a very acute observer, the entire cuticle of the
new-born infant is shed and replaced by a new epi-
dermic covering. The fontanelles, or soft spaces be-
tween the unossified portions of the cranial bones,
gradually diminish in size, and at the age of four
years are almost completely closed.

The teeth of the infant are at birth very imper-
fectly developed, and wholly concealed in little
pockets beneath the gums. They are twenty in
number, consisting of two incisors, one canine tooth,
and two molars, on each side of each jaw. The fully
formed teeth make their eruption from the gums in
the following order : The two central incisors, or cut-
ting teeth, in the seventh month after birth; the
other two incisors in the eighth month; the first
molars at the end of the year; the cuspid teeth,
commonly known as the eye-teeth in the upper jaw
and the stomach-teeth in the lower jaw, at a year and
a half, the second molars which complete the set, not
making their appearance until the end of the second
year.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 115

This set of teeth is commonly known as the tem-
porary or " rnilk" teeth. They are retained until the
seventh year, during which a change begins to take
place by which they are thrown off and replaced by a
permanent set, which differ considerably in shape and
size as well as in number from the first set. The
first permanent tooth which makes its appearance is
the anterior molar tooth, which emerges from the
gum just behind the second temporary molar. This
fact should be born in mind, as this tooth is some-
times mistaken as belonging to the first or the tem-
porary'set, since it usually makes its appearance be-
fore any of the other teeth are shed, or at the age of
about six and one-half years. At the end of the
seventh year, the temporary teeth begin to give way
to the permanent teeth in nearly the same order in
which they made their appearance in the jaw. First
the two middle incisors are shed ; next the lateral in-
cisors about one year later. Within the next two
years, the two molars are replaced by the two bicus-
pids of the permanent set. One year later, the sec-
ond permanent molars make their appearance, and
between the seventeenth and twenty-first years the
wisdQm-teeth appear at the extreme end of the gum,
making thirty-two teeth in all in the adult.

At the age of about fifteen years, a change known
as puberty occurs in both sexes, the nature of which
is more fully considered elsewhere.

After the attainment of puberty, the physical de-
velopment continues, not being perfected until near
the twenty-fifth year, when the ossification of the

116 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

bones is completed. The development of the brain
continues for some years later, not being completed
until near the fortieth year.

With the cessation of growth and the attainment
of maturity, the vital forces of the system are no lon-
ger expended in the processes of development, and
hence the various organs of the body are able to mani-
fest their functions more energetically and continu-
ously than during early life. At this period the pro-
cesses of assimilation and disintegration are just in
proportion to the amount of work done.

After a period, the length of which largely de-
pends upon the habits and inherited tendencies of the
individual, the period of decline begins. This may be
either lengthened or abbreviated in a very large de-
gree by each individual. A person who " lives too
fast," will certainly reach the time when the various
vital functions begin to fail much sooner than one
who by temperate living and careful conformance to
the laws of nature conserves and economizes his vital
energies. The average length of human life is less
than forty years, although many facts and considera-
tions go to show very conclusively that human life
would be prolonged to one hundred years, or even
greater age, if human beings would strictly adhere to
the natural order of life.

The Little Girl.

S infants, little girls and little boys begin
life very much alike. Aside from the
physical differences between the two, the
distinguishing characteristics are not marked
at first, but the period of earliest infancy
is scarcely passed before marked points of
difference begin to make their appearance.
These are in part due to inherited pecul-
iarities of disposition; but we are led
to believe from considerable observation
that many of these differences are more largely
the result of education than of inheritance. The toys
presented to the girl-baby for her amusement differ
radically from those furnished the little boy. She
learns to love dolls and tiny cradles, miniature china
sets, and similar toys, simply because they are first
presented to her in such a way as to attract her at-
tention. Not only in the selection of toys, but in al-
most every other particular the little girl is treated
differently from the little boy. The latter is expected
to become a strong, vigorous man, able to hold his
own in the battle of life, and is treated with a sort of
respect which is inspired by the anticipation of what
he is to become. The little girl, on the other hand,

9 [1171

118 THE LADIES* GUIDE.

is looked upon as destined to fill an inferior place, —
she is to be " only a woman," and is treated as a toy.
petted, kissed, admired as a pretty thing, talked to in
a simpering manner, and every way treated quite dif-
ferently from her little brother. The result of these
different modes of treatment is to cause the little boy
and little girl to become more and more unlike during
the whole period of development.

Under such circumstances, it is not surprising
that the tastes of boys and girls are so totally different,
and that a casual observer in comparing mature or
half developed human beings of the two sexes should
be led to believe that the differences between the two
sexes are radical and fundamental, — that woman is
" the weaker vessel," and by nature destined to fill a
very subordinate place in the social scheme. We do
not deny that there are mental as well as physical
differences between the sexes, neither do we dispute
the position that the work for which the average
woman is naturally fitted differs from that for which
the average man is best adapted ; but we thoroughly
believe that the great differences in adaptation which
are observed between man and woman, are largely the
result of perverting influences acting upon woman
from earliest infancy, the effect of which is to make
her mentally and physically the inferior of man.
Against these perverting influences we protest. There
is no reason why little girls should not be treated
during the first years of infancy exactly the same as
little boys ; their physical demands are precisely the
same ; until near the period of puberty the physical
development of the two sexes runs parallel.

THE LITTLE GIRL. 119

We regarjj the popular method of treating little
girls as not only senseless but criminal. In case a
girl is born of healthy parents, who are well developed
mentally, morally, and physically, she loses a large
portion of her precious inheritance by the depraving
processes to which, in obedience to the dictates of
fashion, she is subjected almost from the moment her
sex is ascertained. Now and then it happens that
a girl-baby's parents are poor and outside the pale of
fashionable influence,' by which fortunate circumstance
she grows up under more favorable influences ; and in
a large share of these cases it may be noticed that the
girl differs far less from the boy than when brought
up under the usual influences.

The little girl of fashionable parents is kept in the
house, dressed up like a little doll, and is taught that
she must keep still like a little lady, that she must
keep out of the sun, never run out of doors bare-
footed, and must try to ape her fashionable mother in
every possible manner. Her clothes are so fine that
she must never venture near the dirt, and must
devote her whole time to playing mother with her
ttolls, or sitting bolt upright in a high chair with her
hands folded while her mother receives company.
Starting out in life under such a regimen, while the
mind is plastic and just beginning its development,
and the whole organization is in the highest degree
susceptible to impressions, is it any wonder that the
delicate, rosy tint of health soon gives way to sallow-
ness, or that the blooming cheeks become pale and
faded, and that the mind becomes dwarfed and shal-
low?

120 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

Early Training. — As just intimated, the influences
to which the little girl is subjected in early childhood,
often in earliest infancy, are of the greatest conse-
quence. The mind is at this period in the highest
degree impressible. The infantile brain is soft and
almost semi-fluid in its texture. The skull and
coverings of the brain have acquired little of that
density and firmness which they exhibit in later years.
The brain may be molded into almost any shape.
Deficient organs may be developed, exaggerated ones
may be repressed by proper training ; and it is equally
possible by improper training to destroy utterly its
symmetry by dwarfing well-developed and valuable
faculties, and obliterating desirable traits of character,
while developing those which are in the highest
degree undesirable.

Education should begin with the earliest dawn of
reason. The first evidences of mental activity on the
part of the child should be watched for and met in
such a manner as to insure a healthy development.
It is possible, by giving careful attention to all the
surroundings of the infant, and bestowing care upon
every act in relation to it, on the part of the mother,
to give direction to the development of its dawning
mind, and thus to do much toward forming the
character.

One of the most reprehensible of all perverting
processes to which the minds of children are exposed,
is the practice of talking "baby-talk" to them.
Sometimes it requires years for individuals to unlearn
the bad habits of pronunciation which they acquired

TEE LITTLE GIRL. 121

by this abArd practice, which also leads children
to form bad habits of thought and expression.
Those who have the care of children ought ever to
bear in mind the fact that the perceptive faculties of
small children are very active. As a rule, these little
ones are in the highest degree imitative ; every look,
gesture, action of the nurse or mother, is followed
with the closest scrutiny. Whatever is brought be-
fore the attention of the little one makes an image
upon its soft and forming brain which is pretty sure
to be reproduced, more or less modified, sometime in
its future history. The nursery ought to be consid-
ered a sacred place; nothing perverting in its ten-
dency should ever be allowed to enter its doors. The
building of a brain, the formation of a character, is a
work with which that of the most skillful sculptor
cannot for a moment compare ; yet how little atten-
tion is given to this important work. Children —
little boys as well as little girls — are allowed to come
mp without any attempt to give proper or natural di-
rection to their development.

A matter of great importance to little girls and
little boys alike is that they should be early taught
to think. Women as a class are dependent. The ma-
jority of women want some one to do their thinking
for them. Little girls should be taught to think by
bringing objects calculated to stimulate thought to
their attention, and by stimulating inquiry by care-
fully and patiently answering all their questions, and
putting to them such questions as will call out thought
and encourage further inquiry. This work, properly

122 THE LADIES' &UIDE.

done, will accomplish more toward thef* molding of
character and the developing of valuable mental quali-
ties in the first four or five years of life, than can be
accomplished by the most skillful training during any
subsequent period. The kinder-garten is a most ad-
mirable institution which may be made the means of
imparting most valuable instruction. A large amount
of useful knowledge may be impressed upon the mind
in such a manner that it cannot be forgotten, by the
methods employed in the kinder-garten. Moral as
well as mental culture may be imparted in this way.
We have been greatly pleased with the recent effort
to employ the kinder-garten as a means of impressing
on the young mind the truths of temperance. We
believe that here is a wide field of usefulness for this
new educational system, and have no doubt that un-
der the wise and inspiring influence of such talented
and enthusiastic workers in the temperance cause as
Miss Willard, Mrs. Foster, Mrs.' Hunt, and others
whom we might name, this agency will be made a
means of incalculable good to the rising generation,
especially in our large cities.

School Education. — When the little girl reaches
an age at which it is thought proper to send her to
school, other depraving influences are brought to bear
upon her. While there has been great improve-
ment in methods of education within the last quarter
of a century, it is still an unfortunate fact that the
school-life of the young, boys as well as girls, is to a
large degree perverting in its character. Little ones
are made to learn by rote. Instruction is imparted

THE LITTLE GIRL. 123

in such a way that they are led to acquire knowledge
very much like little parrots, and without much
greater appreciation of what they learn. Little at-
tention is given to the natural order in which the
mental faculties should be developed, or the natural
means by which young children acquire knowledge.
A routine method is followed, the effect of which is
to extinguish, to a large extent, the naturalness of
those who are subjected to it. Reforms are in prog-
ress, however, and we trust the day is not far distant
when school instruction will be made much more in
conformity to the healthy development of the mind
than at present.

Moral Culture of Children. — The cultivation of
the moral faculties of the child cannot be begun too
early. Depraving influences are so abundant and so
certain to be brought in contact with the little one at
a very early period in its existence, that the attempt
to fortify the mind against such influences cannot be
begun at too early a date. It is of the greatest im-
portance that while the minds of children are yet im-
pressible, such images of truth and purity should be
formed upon them as cannot be easily effaced. Chil-
dren ought early to be taught to love the right be-
cause it is right. The instinct of fear should seldom
be appealed to, and never when such an appeal can be
avoided. The dignity of truth, the nobility of purity,
and reverence for nature and the God of nature,
should be held up before the young mind as the high-
est possible incentives for right doing. A moral
character founded upon such a basis will not be dis-

124 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

turbed by the " winds of doctrine " or the waves of
unbelief; it is founded upon a rock which cannot be
moved.

Senile Manners. — A most alarming, and, we may
almost say, disgusting feature of the modern fash-
ionable mode of bringing up children, is the encour-
agement which is given to the formation of senile
manners. The question has been very pertinently
asked, " What has become of all the little girls?" It
certainly is not often now-a-days that we see a genuine
little girl. There are plenty of little creatures dressed
in such a marvelous manner that even a zoologist
might be puzzled to determine the species to which
they belong, but there is very little in these fanci-
fully dressed specimens, these human dolls, which
should characterize the ideal little girl. A talented
and observing lady has in the following words drawn
a true picture of the contrast between the real and
the artificial little girl : —

" In former times, a pretty muslin bonnet, or a
simple, close-fitting cottage straw, was thought the
most appropriate covering for a little head, protecting
the bright eyes from too intense light, and shielding
the rosy cheeks from the sun's too fervid kisses.
But now we see something placed on the sunny
curls, leaving eyes and cheeks entirely unprotected,
which is elaborately trimmed with bows, feathers, a
flower-garden, or perhaps a mingling of both ; for, al-
though it is too small for even a good-sized doll, the
milliner, with an ingenuity which would have been
praise-worthy if exercised in a more sensible manner,

THE LITTLE GIRL. 125

has contrived to pile up trimming enough to hide
even the faintest suspicion of a bonnet. But what is
sadder than the lack of true taste and good common
sense in this stylish affair, we see no semblance of
child-like simplicity in the wearer. And the bonnet
is but the beginning of this unfortunate change which
we mourn. The pretty " baby waist" the plain white
dress, the neat muslin or merino, so appropriate,
which little girls used to wear, are supplanted by in-
comprehensible garments, the fac-simile of the grand-
dame's attire, flounces, fringes, bows, and double-
skirts looped and festooned in an astounding manner,
the child's — no, we mean the young lady's height,
there are no children in these days — is less than her
circumference, and the " mite " who is made to carry
such an incongruous burden, totters about on high-
heeled boots. This tiny specimen of womanhood,
hardly weaned from her mother's breast, or more prob-
ably, a wet-nurse's, shakes out tier redundant robes,
bending and twisting her small body in grotesque imi-
tation of the woman spoken of by the prophet Isaiah
" with haughty mien ; walking and mincing as they
go" See how the little ape looks over her shoulders,
as she tottles about, to be sure that her skirts give
her dress and figure the corret wiggle her sharp eyes
have observed in the stylish mother and her fashion-
able friends. It is lamentable that all the simplicity
and beauty of babyhood and childhood should be de-
stroyed by fashion.

" Added to the absurdity of the dress, these little
women attempt to discourse on the ' latest style.'

126 THE LADIES GUIDE.

With their companions or dolls you will hear them
imitating the discussions on this subject that they
daily hear in the parlor or nursery from their mother ;
or still imitating with contemptuous toss of their lit-
tle heads, they will inform their listeners that they
' could n't think of 'sociating with those girls, because
they are not stylish ! '

" A few days since, as we passed out of a store on
Broadway, our attention was arrested by the conver-
sation of two little figures seated in a fine carriage,
waiting, doubtless, for mamma to finish her shopping.
They were dressed in a style positively overwhelm-
ing. Their hats were wonders of skill, their gloves
had the orthodox number of buttons with bracelets
over them, a dainty handkerchief suspended from a
ring attached by a chain to another ring on the little
doll-like fingers. The dress was simply indescribable.
The elder was speaking to the younger, who, scarcely
more than a baby, sat demurely by her side. ' Oh,
mercy ! just look at that horrid little girl who is
crossing the street ! She has no hoops on, and not a
single flounce — no trimming at all on her dress ! And,
oh ! see her gloves ! — why, she has only one button !
Pshaw ! she's nobody — not a bit of style ! '

" The youngest lisped a reply, which we lost as
we passed on; but it was painful to think of the
training they must have received which enabled them
at that early age to judge a child of their own years
so quickly by the rules of fashionable dress, and be-
cause her attire was not in exact accordance with
that week's style, turn from her with contempt as
something too low for their notice."

THE LITTLE GIRL. 127

The above description of the fashionable little girl
of to-day is not overdrawn ; yet how few parents re-
alize the dangers into which they are themselves lead-
ing their little daughters in fostering and stimulating
this sad and unnatural inclination !

This terribly pernicious tendency is wholly the
fault of the parents, who little realize the mischievous
work they are doing, the sad harvest they are pre-
paring to reap in later years. They are rearing their
children like house-plants, forcing them to an unnat-
ural .growth, the result of which must be an^ early de-
cay. As soon as exposed to the storms of adversity
they must quickly wither and fall.

Juvenile Parties. — Nothing could be more pain-
ful than the descriptions which we sometimes read in
the papers, of children's parties. Some of them
would be appropriate objects of ridicule, were it not
for the painful disclosures they make of weakness
and wickedness on the part of the parents and de-
pravity on the part of their children. Some time ago
a New York paper gave a graphic description of a
children's party in Brooklyn. The writer told " of
ravishing costumes of silks and satins and laces in
most delicate and fashionable shades, all in the high-
est style of the modiste's art; of flashing diamonds
and milky pearls in tiny ears and on slender necks ;
of six-buttoned white kid gloves on lilliputian hands,
barred with massive bracelets of ' the real stuff,' as
one midget of nine years proudly asserted ; of twink-
ling feet encased in French boots matching the
dresses in color ; of dazzling lights and fragrant flow-
ers ; of bewitching music and circling dances ; of

128 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

flirtations and a midnight supper with its indigesti-
bles, its ices, and its wines."

Such parties are not confined to Brooklyn nor to
the large cities ; we hear of them in all parts of the
country, and their legitimate result is seen in the
petty insubordination of children not yet in their
teens, in juvenile flirtations which result in elope-
ments of boys and girls, and in all sorts of social
scandals.

The natural simplicity and sincerity of childhood
is a precious trait which should be fostered and pre-
served. Hypocrisy and sham, notwithstanding their
prevalence in the fashionable society of the day, are
always distasteful to a person of pure mind and un-
perverted instincts, but never so much so as when
exhibited in children. Genuineness of character has
come to be a rare trait in both old and young. The lit-
tle girl does not reach her teens, scarcely, in fact, learns
to talk, before she begins to acquire the art of trying
to appear somewhat different than she is, imitating
the example of her elders, who possibly imagine that
their shoddy gentility passes for the genuine article,
when in fact they are the laughing-stock of all their
acquaintances.

The Clothing of Little Girls. — As a rule, moth-
ers exercise excellent sense in the clothing of their
little boys : their limbs are warmly clad, their feet
protected from the cold, and their garments are so
constructed as to allow freedom of motion to their
limbs. Thus protected, they are usually allowed to
romp and play in the open air, gathering health and
strength, and laying the foundation of a constitution

THE LITTLE OIRL. 129

which will be able to bear the wear and tear of later
years. Why should not little girls be as comfortably
and sensibly clothed as little boys? Why should
fashion insist that the " weaker vessel/' even in her
tenderest years, should be clothed in such a manner
as would be considered culpable neglect on the part
of the mother if the child were a boy instead of a
girl ? How often have we seen fashionable mothers
leading along the street shivering little girls whose
lower extremities were so thinly clad as to be scarcely
protected from the gaze of the passers-by, to say
nothing of the piercing winds against which the
mother was protected, at least in part, by her long
skirts, thick boots, woolen stockings, warm drawers,
and leggins. The upper portion of the body is usu-
ally protected by furs, warm cloaks, and mittens or
muff, but not infrequently we have seen little ones
trotting along beside their mothers with their little
limbs plainly in sight, blue and pinched by the cold,
— their short skirts no protection to the portion of
the leg below the knee, and the thin drawers that
scarcely met the top of the stocking no adequate
protection for the limbs. The stockings, too, are
often of the thinnest material to allow the wearing of
as small a shoe as possible.

Is it any wonder that these little ones so often
sicken and die? Who knows who many consump-
tions originate in colds contracted by these exposures
in early childhood ? This style of dressing is without
doubt responsible for the great share of croups, diph-
therias, and other throat and bronchial troubles to
which children are subject in early life. Diseases of

130 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

_ _^ _ i

the lungs and air-passages are vastly more frequent
in young children than in older persons ; and we
doubt not that the culpable carelessness and senseless
obedience to fashion in the manner of clothing them
is in a large degree responsible. In more than one in-
stance we have known mothers called to mourn the
death of their beloved little ones when we very well
knew that the responsibility was their own. The
minister offered consolation in the thought that the
ways of Providence were mysterious, and that perhaps
the good Father had taken the little one to himself
for some wise purpose which eternity might reveal.
Possibly the mother accepted the consolation with the
thought that the little one was really better off, being
delivered from all the trials and hardships of life and
safe with reference to the future. We confess to have
felt our indignation roused when hearing such senti-
ments as these expressed. Providence has nothing
to do with the killing of little children. Fashion is
the modern Herod that slaughters the brightest, fair-
est, and most promising of our little ones without
compunction. Little girls seem to be her favorite
victims. Children have a right to live, to develop,
to enjoy this life as well as the next. In fact we can
scarcely understand how the true fullness of joy can
be reached in the next world in any other way than
through the experience afforded in this. There are joys
and legitimate pleasures and happiness in this world
which make the present life well worth living. We in-
sist that girls as well as boys have an inalienable right
to live, and the mother who sacrifices the life of her
child by bending her knee to the goddess of fashion

THE LITTLE OIRL 131

is as culpable as she who commits her little one to
the merciless waves of the Ganges, or dashes it be-
neath the cruel wheels of Juggernaut.

The little girl should be so clad that every portion
of her body will be thoroughly protected. The arms
and limbs should be as well protected as the trunk.
In order to secure this equable protection of the bodj
the undergarments should be made in one piece, that
is, the chemise and drawers should be united. The
undergarments should be of flannel, the best material
for children's wear at all seasons of the year, thick
flannel being worn in the winter, and in the summer
time the thinnest woolen fabrics, if the weather is
very hot. Children often complain that flannel irri-
tates their sensitive skins. This difficulty can be ob-
viated by wearing thin gauze suits underneath the
flannel garment. The stockings should always be of
wool except in very warm weather. They should
never be supported by garters, but should be sus-
pended from the shoulders by means of elastic straps
either passing over the shoulders or attached to the
undergarment.

In cold weather, high boots with thick soles should
be worn, and should be supplemented with warm, knit
leggins extending above the knees.

Short-sleeved and low-necked dresses are fortun-
ately just now out of style, so we need not say much
with reference to this abominable mode of dressing
children which has been so long in vogue. It must
have a passing notice, however, as the fickle dame
may soon return to her old folly, and insist that the
arms and bosoms of children shall be exposed at all

132 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

seasons of the year regardless of the pernicious effect
of such exposure upon their delicate constitutions.
The upper part of the trunk contains the heart and
lungs, — two of the most important vital organs.
Chilling of this portion of the body is certain to
result disastrously to health. There is no doubt
that many of the weakly, sickly, consumptive girls
of the present generation owe their feeble condition
to the low-necked, short-sleeved dresses which they
wore in childhood.

We are glad to know that mothers are becoming
more sensible in this matter. It is now not an un-
common thing to see upon the streets a little girl who
is warmly and sensibly clad. We hope that this
course on the part of some mothers will be con-
tagious, so that we may have a thorough-going revo-
lution in the dress of little girls.

Stays, corsets, and French heels are instruments
of torture to which no intelligent mother will subject
her growing daughter. The idea that the clothing of
the little girl must be so constructed as to " develop
a nice form " is an intolerable reproach on the Creator.
It is a rare thing now-a-days, at least in large cities, to
find a young lady who can walk in an easy, graceful
manner. The stiff, unnatural, mincing gait of the
fashionable young lady is not so much an affectation
as a necessity with her. Her physical development
has been so sadly deformed by the unnatural compres-
sion of the waist with stays or corsets, by the curving
of the spine through the wearing of shoes with high
heels placed under the instep instead of under the
heel, and by various other deforming processes, that

THE LITTLE GIRL, 133

an easy, natural, graceful bearing is as impossible for
her as for a man with heavy manacles upon his ankles.
She struts or wriggles and minces along in the most
ridiculous fashion, not because she desires to do so,
but because it is impossible for her to walk in any other
way. But we will not delay longer upon this point
here as it will be more fully considered hereafter.

A point of primary importance in regard to the
clothing of children which mothers should ever bear
in mind is the fact that frequent changes are necessi-
tated by the almost constant changes of temperature
in this climate. The weather of a temperate climate
is always subject to changes which will be recognized,
and should be as far as possible anticipated, by the
careful mother. Children possess very little power
to resist the influence of cold or heat. Their vital
functions, while very active, are more easily disturbed
than those of older people, hence they are more sus-
ceptible to injury from change of weather than older
persons. Mothers should be constantly on the look-
out for changes which may involve the life of their
little ones. The fashion of putting on flannel under-
garments at the beginning of the cold season of the
year, and putting them off again in the beginning of
spring, is a pernicious one. There is no time of year
when flannel clothing is more imperiously required
than in the cool, damp days of spring and the occa-
sional cool days in summer. Clothing should be ad-
justed to the weather of each day independently. In
the winter time, an unusually cold day demands an ad-
ditional supply of clothing. In the summer time, an

unusually hot day may require an opposite change of

134 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

garments, la the spring and autumn, particularly
when the weather is very changeable, it may be nec-
essary to change the clothing two or three times a
day in order to meet the exigencies of the weather.

Children should never be allowed to suffer for
the want of a change of this kind simply because
the needed garment has been soiled or must be saved
for Sunday wear, or for any other trivial reason. If
a child cannot be properly clothed, it should be sent
to bed and kept there until the proper garments can
be provided for it. The excuse which mothers often
make for carelessness in this particular, that " they
have been too busy " to make the necessary garments
for the little one who has outgrown its old clothing,
is no justification for such neglect ; and it will gener-
ally be found that the required . time has been worse
than wasted in the preparation of unwholesome dishes
which will have no other influence than to deprave
the tastes and undermine the health of the husband
and child, or in the entertainment of fashionable
friends who are themselves squandering valuable time
which belongs properly to their children, in the dis-
cussion of the latest fashions or the most recent
scandal.

The clothing of the child at night is also a matter
of importance. As a rule, flannel night-gowns should
be worn, as by this means the little one avoids the
chill often given by coming in contact with cotton or
linen sheets, and is better protected from the chilly
night air if, as is often the case, it becomes uncovered
in the night by the displacement of the bed covers
through its restlessness.

THE LITTLE GIRL 135

Exercise. — The idea that little girls must be kept
in the house and never allowed to romp and play out
of doors as do their brothers, is productive of a vast
amount of mischief to health. There is no more rea-
son why little girls shoujd be treated this way than
for the treatment pf little boys in the same manner.
As previously remarked, during the first years of
their existence until the approach of puberty, girls
and boys are very much alike in their physical develop-
ment, and there is no reason why they should not re-
ceive very much the same treatment. The muscles
and bones cannot be developed in any other way than
by physical exercise, and this cannot well be done
with the proper freedom elsewhere than in the open
air. The play-room or family gymnasium is an ex-
cellent thing for use on rainy days and in inclement
weather ; but there is no means by which a good foun-
dation for physical health and a normal development
can be so well laid as by abundant exercise in the
open air. The disposition which most healthy little
girls exhibit to romp and play with their little broth-
ers should not be repressed unless carried to great
excess. A little girl with the steady and sober man-
ners of an old person, while often pointed out as a
model of decorum, is really a monstrosity. Such a
girl lacks something in her mental or moral composi-
tion, and will be likely to be still more lacking in the
physical endurance requisite to meet the emergencies
of mature womanhood, which can only be secured by
proper development of the physical organism in child-
hood and early youth.

Girls as well as boys should be early taught to be

136 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

useful. In many kinds of work they may find the
most healthful of all kinds of exercise. The various
movements required in the process of " putting a
room in order," clearing off the table, washing or wip-
ing dishes, running errands, replenishing the fire, and
in various other household duties, afford almost as
good an opportunity for the exercise and develop-
ment of muscles as the most complicated maneuvers
of systematic calisthenics in a gymnasium. For girls
who do not have an opportunity to engage in light
household . duties, gymnastic exercises of various
sorts, a few of which are shown on Plate XI, are ex-
ceedingly useful, and should be employed daily.
Every family ought to have its gymnasium, where its
little ones can find ample opportunity for healthful
exercise in all weathers and at all seasons of the year.

Little girls should be early taught the dignity of
work. They should be made to understand that their
lives, if successful, must be lives of usefulness.
Nothing can be more damaging to the mental and
moral development of a little girl than the common
custom of making her a household pet. We do not
say that children should not receive kind attentions
from older persons, and be made to see that they are
beloved and respected by their superiors; but the
common habit of humoring and petting children, es-
pecially little girls, is in the highest degree detrimen-
tal to their proper development and usefulness in fut-
ure life.

Another common custom, very damaging in char-
acter, is that of " coddling " little children. Very care-
ful mothers, in their anxiety for their daughters,

THE LITTLE GIRL. 137

frequently keep them too close in-doors, hovering
about the fire, or pent up in furnace-heated rooms
from which the vivifying air of heaven and the re-
viving sunshine are rigorously excluded. Such chil-
dren grow up like sickly plants in a cellar or a coal-
mine. It is no wonder that their cheeks are pale,
their lips bloodless, their eyes lustreless or lighted by
an unearthly brightness, and their constitutions so
weak as to be the easy prey of disease. We do not
advise that children should be exposed in a careless
or unreasonable manner, but they should be inured
to exposure sufficiently to prevent an unnatural sus-
ceptibility to injury from slight changes. The man
who obliged his child to run through the ice and
snow of winter with unprotected feet, carried this
idea to a very great extreme ; but the danger to the
lives and health of children through such extreme
and cruel treatment is by no means so great as that
incurred by the mode of treatment to which children
are often subjected by their over-anxious mothers.

Rest and Sleep. — Children require much more
sleep than older people. An infant does little more
during the first weeks of its existence than to eat and
sleep. This is very natural, since the greater part of
the process of growth and repair takes place during
the hours of sleep. During the waking hours the
vital functions are occupied in the expenditure of en-
ergy through the activity of the muscular and nerv-
ous systems ; but during sleep, these activities cease,
and processes of growth and repair are carried on
with great vigor. This is true to some extent with
plants as well as animals. During the day, the plant

138 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

is occupied with receiving food and elaborating it into
nutritive materials by which its sap is enriched, and
during the night the new material received through
the day is organized into cells and formed into the
tissues of the growing plant. It is of great impor-
tance then that children should be allowed ample time
for sleep. For a child eight or ten years of age, ten
hours of sleep is none too much. Children should be
taught to go early to bed and should not be awakened
in the morning so long as they are sleeping soundly,
but a child should never be allowed to lie long in bed
after waking.

Great care should be taken that the children's
conditions during sleep shall be such as are conducive
to health. The sleeping room should be well ven-
tilated. The vital activities of children are very
great, and they throw off from their bodies in a given
time a much larger proportion of organic impurities
than do older persons. Hence, the same provision
for a supply of fresh air should be made for a child
as for an adult. The air of the sleeping apartment
should be so changed that it cannot acquire the pecul-
iar fusty odor by which such apartments are gener-
ally characterized, and wrhich, although not observa-
ble to the inmates while occupying them, is readily
detected by a person coming in from the fresh air
outside.

Care should also be taken that children are warmly
covered at night. Violent colds are frequently con-
tracted by children in consequence of insufficient cov-
ering during sleep. The sleep of children is so sound
that the little one will not be awakened by a degree

THE LITTLE GIRL. 139

of cold which would readily awaken an older person
sleeping less soundly. Changes of temperature at
night often result seriously to a child which may have
been properly covered at bed-time but is not protected
from the greater degree of cold to which it is sub-
jected during a subsequent portion of the night. To
provide against such emergencies, an extra cover
should always be provided at hand, and during sea-
sons of the year when sudden changes are liable to
take place at night, young children should be looked
after at least once during the night to see that they
are properly covered. Children are also frequently
restless through dreams, usually the result of indiges-
tion, late suppers, or the irritation of worms. This
also necessitates their being looked after during the
night to re-adjust displaced covering.

Equal care should be exercised to avoid covering
the child too warmly. As a rule, heavy " quilts "
should not be used as coverings for children, and in-
deed it would be better to avoid their use as bed-
coverings altogether. Woolen blankets are far more
healthful since they furnish an equal degree of warmth
with much less weight than the old-fashioned comfort-
able.

The nature of the material on which the child lies,
as well as that with which it is covered, is also a mat-
ter of importance. We advise that feathers be dis-
carded altogether. They are objectionable on many
accounts. Their anitaal origin gives them in a high
degree the property of absorption, so that they read-
ily take up and retain the exhalations of the body and
whatever impurities may be brought in contact with

1*0 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

them. It is true that feathers may be renovated,
but this process is seldom resorted to more than once
a year, and frequently the feather-bed passes down un-
cleansed from generation to generation, adding yearly
to its accumulation of impurities. The susceptible
systems of children may be readily injured by con-
tact with this source of impurities. We well recollect
when a child, visiting away from home, having been
made very sick upon several occasions by being put
to bed on one of these reservoirs of filth. Feathers
are also objectionable on account of their heating
property. The body settles into the yielding mass
in such a way as to be half buried in it. Feathers
are very poor conductors of heat, and consequently
a child, if none too warm when first put to bed, by
the accumulation of heat is very certain to become
very warm after an hour or two. Perspiration being
induced, the little one becomes restless, and kicks off
the covering, exposing itself to the cold air, which
suddenly checks perspiration, thus occasioning a se-
vere cold.

A word should be said respecting the sleeping of
children with older people. We have fto faith in the
popular notion that one person may attract vitality
from another in a mysterious way, and would not sug-
gest that children may be injured from any such
cause. We have no idea that any injury whatever
can come to a child from sleeping with a healthy
adult; but the susceptible constitutions of children
may be injured by sleeping with an invalid or an
elderly person with enfeebled constitution, through
the absorption of effete materials thrown off by its

THE LITTLE OIBL. 141

invalid or aged and infirm companion. The custom
of placing a child between two adult persons is one
which should be condemned. A child so circum-
stanced is often in the highest degree uncomfortable.
If the face of each of its companions happens to be
turned toward it, it may have to lie for hours breath-
ing air grossly contaminated by the exhalations of fts
bed-fellows. Very often, also, a child sleeping with
elder persons becomes covered with the bed-clothing
in such a way that it breathes over and over the air
charged with the products of its own respiration and
the exhalations of its companions. Death not infre-
quently results in this way. Sometimes, also, in the
case of small infants, death has resulted by the little
one being "overlaid" by one of its parents, most fre-
quently the mother.

We also object to children of the opposite sex
sleeping together, at least after the very earliest years
of infancy are passed. We have in mind examples
where children of both sexes have been injured for
life by promiscuous sleeping. It is very seldom that
little girls are allowed to sleep with older brothers,
but the contrary arrangement is a very frequent
custom, and should be condemned. Children who are
properly brought up will seldom be afraid to sleep
alone. The infant may be accustomed to sleeping by
itself from its earliest childhood, and if it is never in-
jured by frightful stories of ghosts and hobgoblins, it
will never think of being afraid of the dark, or con-
sider a bed companion necessary.

Diet — The health of children is to a much greater
degree dependent upon their food than is generally

142 THE LAMMS' GUIDE.

supposed. The popular notion seems to be that little
ones should be allowed to eat what they crave and
whenever they please. This is a very mischievous
practice, and results in weakening their digestive or-
gans at a very early age. Candies, nuts, sweet-meats,
and " knick-knacks " generally, are exceedingly harm-
ful, and should never be allowed children at any age.
Their digestive organs are not as strong as those of
older persons, and will not bear the amount of abuse
which those of their parents endure with impunity.

The diet of children should be simple in character.
It should consist chiefly of fruits and grains with
plenty of milk. Eggs should be sparingly used and
meat would better be discarded altogether. Condi-
ments, such as pepper, vinegar, pepper-sauce, mustard,
and other stimulating articles of diet, should be wholly
interdicted. The use of tea and coffee is another
practice which should be discountenanced in the
young as well as in older persons. The use of stim-
ulating articles of diet not only weakens the digestive
organs, but develops those parts of the system which
would better be restrained.

Fine flour bread is another article of diet the gen-
eral use of which has been in the highest degree det-
rimental to children by interfering with their normal
development. Grain from which the coarse parts
have been removed does not contain the requisite
amount of bone and muscle building material. Such
food is fattening, but not strengthening. Graham
bread, cracked wheat, oatmeal, and other whole-meal
preparations, are in the highest degree wholesome,
and are especially adapted to the wants of the grow-

THE LITTLE QIHL. 143

ing child. The taste for these articles, if not nat-
urally possessed by the child, should be early culti-
vated.

A child brought up on " knick-knacks " is never a
healthy child. The large use of sweets is sure. to re-
sult in some sort of dyspepsia sooner or later. Gau-
dies should be discarded altogether, not only as
furnishing an unnecessary amount of saccharine mate-
rial, but on account of the fact that they contain many
injurious articles employed for flavoring and coloring
purposes. The public should also know that such a
thing as pure candy, that is, candy made from genuine
cane-sugar, does not exist. Candy is universally
adulterated. Glucose, or " corn-sugar/' is almost ex-
clusivelv used in the manufacture of all kinds of
candy.

The habit of eating fruits, nuts, sweet-meats, etc.,
between meals, is in the hightest degree pernicious
and detrimental to the health of the child. When it
is considered how universal is the custom of allowing
children to indulge in sweet-meats, pastry, and tidbits
of every description without restraint, it is not to be
wondered at that infantile dyspeptics are becoming
exceedingly common. Great regularity in meals
should be observed from the very beginning of infant
life. After the first month of infancy, the child
should be strictly confined to three regular meals a
day, and the last meal should not be taken less. than
two and one-half hours before retiring. The child
should not be allowed to taste a mouthful between
meals. The habit of eating between meals when
early acquired, becomes as inveterate and difficult to

144 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

break as that of tobacco-using or liquor-drinking. A
short time ago, we heard a confirmed dyspeptic con-
fess that he had experienced greater difficulty in
breaking off the habit of taking sugar between meals
than in discontinuing the use of tobacco, although he
had been an inveterate user of the weed for years.

Regular Habits. — A variety of diseases very
grave and sometimes incurable in character arise from
the habit of inattention to the call of nature to re-
lieve the bowels and bladder. The habit of inatten-
tion to this important duty to the body is often formed
in early childhood. This is the case especially with
girls. Mothers ought to give attention to this matter
and instruct their daughters respecting the impor-
tance of regularly relieving the bowels and bladder at
certain times each day. The call of nature should
never be resisted or delayed a moment when such
delay can be avoided. The inactive condition of the
bowels and the irritable state of the bladder which
often result from the violation of this simple rule of
health are not infrequently the means of inducing ab-
normal excitement in the genital organs which may
result in the formation of habits most deplorable in
their character and consequences.

Vicious Habits. — Many mothers are wholly ig-
norant of the almost universal prevalence of se-
cret vice, or self-abuse, among the young. It is ex-
ceedingly common among girls as well as boys. The
nature of this vice is such that it may be acquired
and continued months and even years, possibly dur-
ing the greater part of a life-time, without its. exist-
ence being suspected by those who are not skilled

THE LITTLE QJRL. 145

in its detection. We have met scores of such cases
in which it was impossible to convince the doting
mother that her daughter could be guilty of such an
offense, although the marks of vice were too plain to
be mistaken. A careful study of this too prevalent
vice and a wide opportunity for observation have con-
vinced us that this is one of the great causes of the
large increase of nervous diseases and diseases pecul-
iar to the sex, which has been so marked among wo-
men during the last half century. A pungent writer
who has devoted himself almost exclusively to the
treatment of the diseases of females, asks pertinently :
" Why hesitate to say firmly and without quibble that
personal abuse lies at the root of much of the feeble-
ness, paleness, nervousness, and good-for-nothingness
of the entire community?"

Within the last ten years we have examined and
treated for various local ailments the cases of sev-
eral thousand women of various ages, and more often
than we have dared to declare have we found convin-
cing evidence that the foundation of the disease from
which the patient was suffering had been laid in vi-
cious habits acquired in early childhood.

This vice is not confined to any one class of so-
ciety ; it penetrates all classes. Those whose social
surroundings have been such that they would be
least suspected, are frequently found to be among its
most abject victims. Too little attention has been
given to this matter. Certain writers have taken the
position that the prevalence of the vice has been
greatly exaggerated as well as its bad effects, which
has had a tendency to lull to sleep parents who

J 46 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

might otherwise have realized the dangers with
which their daughters as well as their sons were
threatened.

Mothers place their daughters in' boarding schools
which enjoy a good reputation as successful and re-
spectable schools, and imagine that they are safe ;
when their associations are such that if they escape
contamination with this foul vice it is to be regarded
as almost a miracle. It is not to be supposed that all
girls are corrupt, or that most of those who are the
inmates of boarding schools are so ; but it is scarcely
possible that a large number of girls can be brought
together without including at least a few who have
been corrupted by this evil habit ; and one or two of
these emissaries of evil are sufficient to contaminate
any number of others.

Teachers as well as parents ought to inform them-
selves on this subject so that they may be prepared
to rescue those who may have become enslaved, and
protect those whose innocence has not yet been
marred.

Effects of Solitary Vice in Girls. — The victim
of this evil habit is certain to suffer sooner or later
the penalty which nature invariably inflicts upon
those who transgress her laws. Every law of nature
is enforced by an inexorable penalty. This is em-
phatically true respecting the laws which relate to
the sexual organs. The infliction of the penalty
may be somewhat delayed, but it will surely come,
sooner or later. The girl who begins the habit in
early childhood will scarcely escape great suffering
from some form of sexual disorder as she approaches

THE LITTLE GIRL 147

womanhood, at the period of puberty, and her suffer-
ings will not end here. All through life the penalty
of unlawful transgression will be visited upon her.
If she becomes a wife and mother, the perils incident
to that condition will be vastly increased.

In the majority of cases, the effects of secret vice
soon begin to manifest themselves in a Aariety of
ways which are easily recognized by the experienced
physician, and may often be detected by others. How
often have we seen little girls who at the age of five
or six years were pictures of blooming health, with
faces indicative of purity and all the elements which
when developed contribute to the formation of perfect
womanhood, — how often, we say, have we seen such
lovely little ones fading away under the influence of
some terrible blight of the nature of which their
friends were wholly ignorant. From month to month
we have seen the roses leave their cheeks, the lustre
depart from their eyes, the elasticity from their step,
the glow of health and purity from their faces, while
with the gradual departure, one by one, of their
charms, came, instead, the convincing evidences of the
vicious habit, undermining both their constitution and
their character, and working devastation which the
lapse of long years could not efface. The mother
often notices these changes in her daughter with
other changes which we might mention, and wonders
what can be the cause for such remarkable evidences
of deterioration. Perhaps it is attributed to some
trivial cause which has had little or no influence in
effecting the change, but the real cause is usually
overlooked. As a rule, mothers will not believe it

148 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

possible that their daughters can be guilty of a
vice which they are forced to believe is common
enough among the daughters of their friends, and
often cannoi be induced to institute a thorough-going
investigation, when the need of it is plainly evident
to an unbiased observer.

Wide observation has convinced us that a great
many of the back-aches, side-aches, and other aches
and pains of which girls complain, are attributable to
this injurious habit. Tenderness of the spine, giving
rise to grave fears of spinal disease, is not an infre-
quent result. Much of the nervousness, hysteria,
neuralgia, and general worthlessness of the girls of
the rising generation, originates in this cause alone.
The pale cheeks, hollow eyes, expressionless counte-
nances, and languid air of many school-girls, which
are likely to be attributed to overstudy, are due to
this one cause. We know of no means by which the
vitality can be so quickly lowered and the very
foundations of the constitution sapped, . as by this.
The continuance of the habit for only a few years is
sufficient to lay the foundation for suffering through
the whole future life.

The period of puberty is one at which thousands
of girls break down in health. One great cause of
this alarming decline at this period is undoubtedly
that which we have mentioned. At this time un-
usual demands are made on the system ; and the con-
stitution, already weakened by a debilitating, debas-
ing vice, is not prepared for the unusual strain, and
the poor victim drops into a premature grave. In
most of these cases, the sudden failure is attributed

THE LITTLE GIRL. 149

to overwork, overstudy, a slight exposure, or some
other cause by no means sufficient to account for
the observed results.

Signs of Self- Abuse in Girls. — Mothers should
always be on the alert to detect the first evidences of
this vice in their daughters. It is especially impor-
tant that it should be detected at the start, as the
habit when once formed so completely subjects its
victim as to make escape well-nigh impossible. It
fastens its fetters so firmly that, in some instances,
nothing but almighty power seems competent to loosen
its grasp. It is by no means easy to detect the
habit in those who are addicted to it. The evidences
may be such as to convince the watchful mother or
experienced physicians, but it will be necessary in
most cases to obtain undoubted evidences of the ex-
istence of the habit before it can be broken up.
Girls will almost uniformly deny very emphatically
that they are addicted to the vice, when they are
truthful on every other subject. We have found
this to be the case much more frequently with girls
than with boys. Hence, it requires the greatest
care and watchfulness in most cases to obtain such
evidence of the vice as will render mistake impossible.
The only positive evidence is, of course, detection of
the child in the act. If the child is observed to
visit some secluded spot daily or more or less fre-
quently, or to be much alone, avoiding the company
of other girls of her age, her actions should be care-
fully watched, and means taken to detect her in the
act. The habit is often pursued at night after retir-
ing, or in the morning after awakening, before getting

150 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

up. Not infrequently we have known children to be
pursuing this soul-and-body-destroying vice while
their parents supposed them to be quietly slumbering
in healthy innocence. Children sometimes feign
sleep to afford them an opportunity to practice this
vile but fascinating indulgence. A suspected child
should be watched under all circumstances with un-
ceasing vigilance.

It is not enough to have such a child under ob-
servation in a general way. A most vigilant surveil-
lance must be kept up constantly, and during the
night as well as during the day. No dependence can
be placed upon the statements made by the victims
of this vice, for the moral nature soon becomes de-
praved to such a degree that conscience is easily si-
lenced.

Aside from positive evidence, there are other
signs which may well give rise to suspicion which
may lead to the discovery of positive evidence.
These may be enumerated as follows : —

1. A sudden, marked decline in health. A change
of this kind in a girl who has previously been healthy
and has been subject to no influences adequate to
produce such a change may well be regarded with
suspicion and should be closely watched. Mothers
will often find upon a careful investigation of such
cases a depth of depravity for which they are Avholly
unprepared.

2. A marked change in disposition is frequently
the result of this same cause. When a girl who has
formerly been truthful, happy, obliging, gentle, and
confiding, becomes within a short period of time

THE LITTLE GIRL. 151

peevish, irritable, morose, disobedient, and restrained
in her manner, it is evident that she is under the in-
fluence of some foul blight, and the one which we
have described is the one of all others the most fre-
quent. Such a change in disposition should arouse
the mother's most earnest solicitude and lead to a
thorough investigation of the habits of the child.

3. Loss of memory and of the love for study is a
very frequent result of this enervating habit. The
nervous forces are weakened and the Adtality lowered
to such a degree that the natural energy and vivacity
are destroyed, giving place to mental weakness and
inactivity.

4. Unnatural boldness in a little girl who has
previously been retiring and reserved, if not bashful,
is evidence of some deep-seated cause which affects
the character, and is just ground for the suspicion of
secret vice.

5. A forward or loose manner in company with
little boys is suspicious conduct, especially in one
who has previously shown no disposition of this sort.
Girls addicted to this habit usually show an unnatural
fondness for the society of little boys, and not infre-
quently are guilty of the most wanton conduct.

6. Languor and lassitude appearing in a little girl
who has previously possessed a marked degree of
activity and energy, should give rise to earnest solici-
tude on the part of the mother for the physical and
moral condition of her child.

7. An unnatural appetite is another indication of
the existence of this habit. This peculiarity is
manifested in a great variety of ways. Sometimes

152 THE LADIES* GUIDE.

children will show an excessive fondness for mus-
tard, pepper, vinegar, spices, and other stimulat-
ing condiments. Little girls who are very fond of
cloves and desire to be always eating them are likely
to be depraved in other respects. Such girls are also
often very fond of eating clay, slate, chalk, charcoal,
and other indigestible substances. We have met
persons who were in the habit of eating large quanti-
ties of these articles daily.

8. The presence of leucorrhoea in a young girl, ac-
companied by a relaxed condition of the vagina, is
presumptive evidence of the existence of this vice, if
there is no other cause to which this unnatural con-
dition can be attributed. We have met girls who
had scarcely entered their teens in whom the relaxa-
tion was almost as great as if they had been the
mothers of children. This condition very readily re-
sults from the practice of self-abuse, which occasions
a frequently recurring congestion of the parts, to-
gether with the mechanical irritation accompanying
the habit.

9. Ulceration about the roots of the nails, espe-
cially affecting one or both of the first two fingers of
the hand, usually the right hand, is an evidence of
the habit which depends upon the one just mentioned*
the irritation of the fingers being occasioned by the
acrid vaginal discharge.

10. Biting the finger-nails is a habit, which, when
very marked, may be regarded with some degree of
suspicion. The irritation of the fingers which gives
rise to the habit, growing out of the irritable condi-
tion of the nails described in the preceding paragraph.

THE LITTLE GIRL. 153

11. The expression of the eyes often betrays to
the careful observer the existence of this deteriorat-
ing vice. The blank, dull, lustreless, expressionless
eye sui*rounded by a dark ring, habitually given to
staring into vacancy, frequently tells the tale of sin
which its possessor vainly imagines to be unknown to
any but herself.

12. Palpitation of the heart, hysteria, nervous-
ness, St. Vitus* dance, epilepsy, and other marked
nervous symptoms occurring in children who have
been previously healthy and have been subject to no
other causes adequate to produce such results, are
good grounds for suspicion. Incontinence of urine,
giving rise to wetting the bed, is a common result of
masturbation, and when present calls for careful inves-
tigation of the habits of the child.

It should be remarked that none of the above-
mentioned suspicious signs when taken alone is suffi-
cient evidence to warrant the conviction of a girl of
this soul-destroying vice, but several taken together
may form a chain of evidence sufficiently strong to be
considered positive.

Evil Associations. — It is well that mothers
should thoroughly inform themselves respecting the
various channels through which their daughters may
become contaminated. The majority of mothers are
either sadly ignorant of the dangers to which their
daughters are exposed, or are asleep with reference to
them. We earnestly desire to say something that
will arouse mothers from their apathy respecting the
dangers that their daughters are subject to almost
from early infancy.

154 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

That " evil communications corrupt good manners"
is as true at the present day as when the words were
penned by the inspired writer. The vice to which
we have called attention is almost always acquired
through the influence of evil associations. On this
account, mothers should be exceedingly careful of the
associations of their daughters. Little girls should
never be allowed to go away to spend the night or to
sleep with other girls, either of their own age or much
older, whose characters are not known to be above
suspicion. Many times persons who would not be
suspected of such a crime, are in fact not only guilty
of the vice themselves, but ready to lead others to
the same degradation. Servant-girls often teach the
habit to young children as a means of quieting them.
Girls not infrequently learn the habit in school.
There is probably not a public school in the land
where there are not one or more instructors in this
debasing vice. Sometimes vile boys, taking advan-
tage of the unsuspecting innocence and simplicity of
girls of tender years, give them their first lessons in
this most degrading vice.

In a case which came under our observation a few
years ago a little girl, naturally bright and unusually
attractive and intelligent, had become the victim of
this soul-and-body-destroying habit, which had brought
on a serious nervous disease that threatened to de-
stroy both body and mind before she had reached
the age of ten years. Her first instruction was re-
ceived from a hoary-headed fiend in human shape who
had enticed her to a secluded place, and there intro-
duced her to all the nastiness which his depraved and

THE LITTLE GIRL. 155

sensual nature could devise. That a mature human
being could ever descend to such immeasurable depths
of infamy as this, is almost beyond belief; yet the
facts are too well attested to be doubted.

Mothers cannot be too careful of the associations
of their little daughters. Often those who would be
least suspected of such wickedness are the agents of
sin who will instruct their innocent little ones in this
debasing habit. Trust no one not known to be pure.
Keep your little girls under your own roof until you
are sure that their characters are sufficiently well-
formed to resist the encroachments of evil. Build
up bulwarks against vice by developing the pure and
the good in their dispositions and repressing evil ten-
dencies. The first impure thought instilled into a
child's mind is usually the source of all the subse-
quent ruin. A prurient curiosity is excited which
craves satisfaction, and will not rest until the de-
sired information is obtained. Thus the evil seed
germinates and develops, and in due time, under ordi-
nary circumstances, brings forth an abundant crop of
impure ideas Avhich fill the mind and result in impure
acts. A child whose mind has been contaminated by
evil communications may be rescued, but cannot be
restored to the innocence which when once lost is
gone forever. A scar will always remain which can-
not be effaced. Our observation has been that the
cases of vicious depravity in young women are almost
exclusively confined to those whose minds have been
corrupted in early childhood, so that their evil ten-
dencies have grown and strengthened with their
years. This fact accounts for the great difficulty of

156 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

reforming young women who have once fully entered
upon a life of shame.

Bad Books. — By bad books we do not mean those
included under the head of obscene literature. The
active efforts of Mr. Anthony Comstock for several
years past have resulted in the suppression of the
greater part if not the whole of this class of literature,
but we refer to a class of books not generally recog-
nized as so very bad in character. Mr. Comstock
has only succeeded in suppressing the publication of
those works which are ostensibly vile in character
and vicious in purpose. In this he has done a most
excellent work, and his labors have undoubtedly
resulted in saving thousands of young men and women
from ruin ; but there is a large and growing class of
literature which his efforts do not and cannot reach.
We refer to books written by men and women whose
sole object is gain, and who do not hesitate to
introduce in one way or another ideas which tend in
exactly the same direction as the class of books
which are pronounced illegal, and are suppressed
Avherever found by authorized agents of the govern-
ment. Often these prurient, sensual ideas are pre-
sented in the most refined and elegant language, and
interwoven with other thoughts which may be in
themselves elevating, in such a manner that the
intent of the writer may be wholly disguised to
many persons, and the real character of the book not
discoverable without the most careful scrutiny, by a
person whose taste is unvitiated by familiarity with
vice, and whose intuitions are in harmony with what
is pure and ennobling in character.

THE LITTLE GIRL. 157

It is not always the direct object of these writers
to corrupt the morals of their readers. They recog-
nize the fact, however, that a very large class of read-
ers have an intense relish for works which give here
and there hints of dark intrigues, illicit amours, and
other manifestations of sensuality, and introduce this
class of ideas as a sort of spice by which to render
their productions palatable to the depraved taste of a
large proportion of the novel-reading public of the
present day. Never was there a time when books
were so plentiful or cheap as now. The competition
of great publishing houses has brought books of every
sort within the reach of persons of all classes, and a
dime to-day will buy more reading-matter than a dol-
lar half a century ago.

Within a generation, a special class of literature
has sprung up known by the general term of " Sun-
day-school books." The supposed characteristics of
these books are wholesome thought, freedom from im-
moral tendencies, and the inculcation of pure and ele-
vating principles. Unfortunately, many books even
of this class are, from our stand-point, wholly unsuit-
able to be read by young girls, if indeed they are
suitable to be read by anybody. The fact that a
book is a " Sunday-school " book should not be suffi-
cient recommendation to a mother who desires to pre-
serve the simple-hearted purity of her daughter.
Every mother should scrutinize writh the greatest care
the reading matter supplied to her daughter at Sunday-
school or day-school, from the town library, circulating
libraries, or libraries of friends. From whatever
source a book or paper or magazine comes, it should

158 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

be carefully examined before being placed in the
hands of a little girl old enough to read and compre-
hend its meaning. We once took from the hands of
a little girl a book over which she had been poring
for hours, ancf found on the open page sentiments
which made our cheeks tingle with shame that au-
thors could be so lost to the interests of purity and
virtue and so reckless of results as to pen such senti-
ments as wo found expressed so plainly that even a
young and unsophisticated school-girl could not fail
to comprehend the import of the language.

In our opinion, sentimental literature, whether im-
pure in its subject matter or not, has a direct ten-
dency in the direction of impurity. The stimulation
of the emotional nature, the instilling of sentimental
ideas into the Blinds of young girls, has a tendency
to develop the passions prematurely, and to turn the
thoughts into a channel which leads in the direction
of the formation of vicious habits.

Various Causes of Vice. — Among other causes
which operate to produce a tendency to the vice un-
der consideration in the early years of girlhood, may
be mentioned had diet. The use of mustard, pepper-
sauC6j pepper, vinegar, spices, and highly seasoned
and stimulating dishes and articles of diet of every
description, has a marked tendency to the produc-
tion of an abnormal development of the passions,
sometimes undoubtedly stimulating the sexual organs
to such a degree as to occasion a spontaneous forma-
tion of the habit. We have known instances in
which this 1ms been the case, the habit being ac-
quired accidentally, without the aid of an instructor.

THE LITTLE QIRL. 15 J)

Sometimes this abnormal condition of the genitals is
produced by local disease, causing an irritable or itch-
ing condition by which the child's attention is called
to this part of the body in such a way as to lead to
the discovery of the awful secret. Intestinal worms,
a constipated condition of the bowels, certain forms
of skin disease affecting the parts, are all causes
which may result in the accidental formation of the
habit of self-abuse.

Another cause which we shall mention, one which
we believe has been generally overlooked, is the
improper dressing of infants. It is a custom with
most mothers and nurses during the early years of
infancy to envelop that portion of the body of the in-
fant in which the genitals are located, in many folds
of diapers for the purpose of avoiding the necessity
for frequent change. Sometimes this thick mass of
material is still further augmented by a covering of
oiled silk or rubber. The effect of this practice is to
retain the moisture of the excretions in contact with
this delicate portion of the system, which, with the
heat accumulated from the body, acts like a poultice,
stimulating and irritating the nerves of the parts, and
thus inducing an abnormally sensitive and excitable
condition. We have no doubt but that this unwhole-
some practice on the part of mothers is a very great
cause not only of the early formation of the destructive
vice, but also of serious disease in future life.
Mothers should wisely consider this matter before
allowing themselves to subject their little ones to
such an unwholesome practice, and one which would
seem to be directly contrarj^to the dictates of com-

160 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

mon sense respecting the requirements of cleanliness.
The diaper should consist of as few folds as possible,
and should never be covered by anything impervious
to air. The child's clothing should be changed as often
as necessary, which is as often as it is soiled, or
as soon as possible after.

Silly letter writing in which little boys and girls
at school often indulge, should never be encouraged
nor tolerated by parents. We have known of several
instances in which the minds of pure girls became
contaminated through this channel. A few years
ago, a letter was intercepted from a little boy to a
little girl and brought to our notice. Both the
writer and the intended receiver of the letter were
wholly unsuspected of any evil tendency, and had
been on intimate terms for a long time. Notwith-
standing this fact, the letter contained language in
the highest degree vulgar and impure, and displayed
a depth of depravity, on the part of the sender at
least, which was most astounding. Mothers should
scrutinize carefully the conduct of their daughters in
their associations with the opposite sex, checking
promptly any tendency to undue familiarity, and pro-
hibiting utterly associations the tendency of which is
manifestly bad. Eternal vigilence is the price of pu-
rity, and at no time in the development of the girl is
it of more importance than between the ages of six
and ten or twelve years.

A Few Sad Examples. — To illustrate the facts to
which we have called attention, we will cite a few
out of the hundreds of cases which have come under
our care, taking pains to withhold names, and in some

TUE LITTLE GIRL. 161

cases slightly modifying some of the unimportant de-
tails so as to make impossible the identification of the
individuals referred to. We do this merely for the
purpose of impressing on the minds of mothers the
importance of this subject and the reality of the facts
to which we have called attention. Many times wre
have received evidence for believing that the average
mother is quite too incredulous respecting the extent
and enormity of this evil. It is only in the hope
that we may say something to arouse such mothers
to a sense of the dangers to which their little daugh-
ters may be exposed or the condition in which they
may be already, that we venture to pen these chap-
ters in the life history of a few of those who have
come under our immediate care for the treatment of
the terrible results of an evil which we have at-
tempted to portray in its true colors.

A Remarkable Case. — Some years ago, a little
girl came under our care for the treatment of a very
curious nervous difficulty, which had baffled the skill
of numerous physicians wTho had been invited to
examine the case. The little girl was naturally
bright, attractive, and intelligent, and excited the
sympathy of all who witnessed the strange and
inexplicable manifestations of her disease. Her doting
parents had spared no means which might conduce to
her recovery, and wThich could be secured by the
employment of the best medical skill and the lavish
expenditure of money, but she was no better. The
painful and distressing malady which had fastened
itself upon her and threatened to destroy her mentally
as well as physically, held her firmly in its grasp.

162 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

At any moment of the day or night she was liable to
be seized with paroxysms most distressing to behold.
We at once suspected the real nature of the difficulty,
but the most careful investigation failed to reveal any
tangible evidence to sustain our suspicions, except
what we could draw from our knowledge of the nature
of the case. The mother felt almost indignant that
her lovely daughter should be suspected of such a
horrible vice. Every measure of treatment was
wholly unsuccessful or only temporary in its effects.
At last the discovery was accidentally made that the
girl had for years been addicted to a curious habit
which had been considered as simply a strange no-
tion and had not aroused the least suspicion as being
in any way connected with the vicious habit under
consideration. Feeling thoroughly convinced now of
her guilt, we did not hesitate t© insist upon the
child's being placed under such circumstances as to
make the practice of the habit impossible. For some
time this was not effected satisfactorily, but ulti-
mately the desired end was accomplished, and a good
recovery was secured.

How to Cure Vicious Habits. — The habit of self-
pollution is one which when thoroughly established, is
by no means easily broken. The victim of this most
terrible vice is held in the most abject slavery, the
iron fetters of habit daily closing the prisoner more
and more tightly in their grasp. When the mother
makes for the first time the discovery that her little
daughter is a victim to this polluting habit, it usually
seems to her that all the case will require is a careful
explanation of its sinfulness and a vivid portrayal of
the consequences ; but in the majority of cases they

THE LITTLE QIRL. 163

soon learn that this is not enough. The effect of this
kind of transgression is to weaken the moral sense
perhaps more rapidly than any other vice. The vic-
tim gradually grows weaker and weaker in will-power,
and the conscience becomes less and less sensitive,
until there is very little left in the character of the
child to which an appeal can be made or by which an
effort to reform can be supported.

Scores 01 times have we received from anxious
mothers the inquiry, •" How can I rescue my daughter
from this terrible habit?" As before remarked, the
task is not an easy one. Notwithstanding the fact
that the effort may be wholly ineffectual, the mother
should first carefully set before the child the exceed-
ing sinfulness of the habit, its loathsomeness and vile-
ness, and the horrible consequences which follow in
its wake. As powerful an impression as possible
should be made at the first interview. In some in-
stances, this will be all that is required, but in the
majority of cases the evil is not so easily mastered.
After receiving the proper instruction, the child
should be carefully watched. The little girl should
be placed in the care of some trustworthy, judicious
person whose duty should be to keep her under con-
slant observation every moment of her waking hours.
Some simple employment or congenial amusement
should be afforded by which her time may be wholly
occupied, and a sufficient degree of active exercise
should be secured to render the child by evening
thoroughly tired muscularly and nervously, so that
sleep will be natural and grateful, and the child
will have no disposition to* lie awake after going

164 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

to bed. Care should be taken that the child does not
feign sleep for the purpose of gaining an opportunity
to avoid observation. This we have known to be
done very frequently by those who were determined
to continue the habit in spite of the instruction
and warnings given them. Immediately upon wak-
ing in the morning, the child should be taken out
of bed and dressed, and should be employed from
that moment until the time of retiring at night. In
case there is any disease of the- bladder or rectum,
or of any other portion of the body immediately
associated with the genital apparatus, this matter
should receive attention from a competent physician,
so that whatever influence it may exert as a cause of
the habit may be removed.

Children suffering with incontinence of urine
should be made to empty the bladder frequently, as
the nervous condition which results from over-disten-
sion, or its irritable condition, often produces an un-
easy condition of the genitals which may not only
lead to the formation of the habit, but will present a
great obstacle in the way of its cure.

Care should also be taken to see that the bowels
are properly evacuated. Constipation of the bowels
is often a cause of sexual excitement which cannot
be easily controlled so long as the physical condition
is such as to antagonize the effort of the will in the
direction of reform.

Itching of the genitals is another physical condi-
tion which should receive attention, medical aid being
called unless careful regard for cleanliness suffices to
secure relief.

THE LITTLE OTRL. 165

In obstinate cases, very severe means must be
sometimes adopted. We were once obliged after
every other measure had failed, to perform a surgical
operation before we were able to break the habit in
the case of a young girl of eight or ten years who
had become addicted to the vice to a most extraordin-
ary degree.

As a rule, it is much more difficult to cure this
soul-destroying vice in girls than in boys. They are
seldom as ready to confess their guilt as are boys,
and then are less easily influenced by a portrayal of
its terrible consequences, so that moral means have
less influence with them than with boys. The most
sleepless vigilance must be coupled with the most
persevering patience to rescue one of the unfortunate
victims from the physical, mental, and moral ruin
which are certain to result from a continuation of this
terrible vice.

Reform is not impossible, however, for any one
who really desires to reform ; but the work of refor-
mation must begin with the mind. The impure
thoughts and images which have been harbored must
be banished. The mind must be cleansed from every
taint of evil. This is a task which requires no little
patience, and in many cases, more than human
strength. In seeking to reform such an one, point
her to the Source of all strength, encourage her to
believe that there is One who knows the weaknesses
of human nature, and while He abhors sin and vile-
ness, loves the sinner and is ready and anxious to
aid her to release herself from the toils of vice. Re-
ligion offers aid to these victims of sin for which

166 THE LADIES* GUIDE.

there is no substitute; and with the majority of
those who have become fully ensnared, success can-
not be attained except through earnest prayer for
divine aid. By the aid of an earnest purpose to re-
form, and a determination to become again pure and
free from the foul taint of vice, and by a humble,
prayerful life of trust in divine strength, the most
hapless sinner may find pardon, peace, and purity.

A Few Words to Girls. — Who does not admire
the sweet purity of the lily, the delicate loveliness of
the rose, the natural beauty and grandeur of a land-
scape, or the golden tinting of an autumn sunset? No
work of art, however marvelous its ingenuity, or
wonderful its symmetry, can rival for a moment the
magnificence and the wonderful delicacy of the nat-
ural beauty which the Creator has spread about us.
We all admire them. Even the little infant in its
mother's arms, is not insensible to the charms of nat-
ural beauty.

The transparent loveliness of the dew drop or the
icicle glittering in the sunshine fixes the attention of
the appreciative on-looker as closely as the sheen and
glitter of the costliest gem.

The love of beauty, of purity, is innate in the
human mind. Who does not suffer a pang of grief at
the ruthless destruction of one of nature's beauties —
the crushing of a flower or a crystal, or of any lovely
object ?

Most beautiful and noble of all the Creator's
works, is the human form. Towering in grandeur
high above the most impressive of all Nature's pict-
ures, is the human character, a miniature copy of the

THE LITTLE GIRL. 167

divine. Even in its least attractive forms, the hu-
man face possesses a beauty unrivaled by any other
natural object ; and when not debased by sin and de-
formed by vice, the human character possesses attrac-
tions unapproachable by any other of all God's handi-
work.

The Creator has given to each nbt only natural
graces and beauties of form and character, but the
power to become more beautiful and attractive through
the improvement of natural good qualities, and the
acquirement of others. Human life is a school, the
object of which is to fit human beings for a higher
and grander life. How this life is spent, determines
the condition in the next. Is it not a glorious, soul-
inspiring thought that this life may be made the be-
ginning of an endless eternity of progress, a never-
ending school-day, each moment adding new wisdom
and knowledge and beauties and graces? The all-
wise Father puts men and women, boys and girls, on
trial in this life, to see whether their tendency is
greatest in an upward or a downward direction.
Those who love true beauty and purity, and who as-
pire to the highest degree of perfection attainable,
will gladly seek such aids to a perfect life as are of-
fered by genuine religion ; while those who choose
sin rather than holiness, vice rather than purity, ug-
liness rather than beauty, will despise the good coun-
sels of their parents, the warnings of the Book of
books, the admonitions of friends, and will rush head-
long down the path of sin to reap at last the terrible
reward of evil doers.

The love of purity, the abhorrence of sin, the de-

168 THE LADIES GUIDE.

sire to attain to the highest degree of perfection pos-
sible to humankind, will be the actuating motives of
every high-minded, unsophisticated girl. The mere
thought of evil will be appalling to such an one-
Self-respect and veneration for the God-implanted
virtues of purity and innocence, should be encour-
aged and cultivated. The girl who has these quali-
ties will turn a deaf ear to the siren voice which
tempts her to sin. The allurements of vice will pre-
sent no fascinations to her. She is safely entrenched
behind an impregnable wall of defense.

The fact that sin may be committed without be-
ing known to parents or friends will be no induce-
ment to a girl of pure instincts. That she will her-
self possess the knowledge of her guilt will be a suf-
ficient restraint to prevent the commission of the
wrong ; and that God and pure beings will behold the
sin and grieve over it, will be a mental monitor ever
at hand to defeat the tempter.

An unvitiated mind will be ever on the alert to
detect wrong and to avoid it. Its keen sensibilities
will apprehend the real character of sin under what-
ever guise it may come. There will be no dallying
with sin, no harboring of evil thoughts, no beginnings
of vice. The seeds of impurity cannot take root in
such a soil. How important then that from earliest
infancy the mind should be prepared for the ready
appreciation and eager acceptance of truth and purity,
and the prompt resistance of the first approach* of
what is false and impure.

We doubt not that we have all inherited enough
of sinful tendencies and depraved propensities to lead

THE LITTLE GIRL. 169

us in a downward direction without some powerful
restraining and redeeming influence ; but we do not
believe in the idea that humanity is wholly depraved.
There is enough of good in every human being to
furnish a foundation for a pure and noble character if
only the desire for such a character is present. The
want of respect for the pure and good and truly beau-
tiful is what leaves so many human lives to go to
wreck and ruin.

The only hope for the race is in the future of its
girls. If there is to be any permanent, thorough-
going reform, it must start with the girls and young
women of the world. They are to be the mothers of
the next generation. They will mold the characters
of the men and women who are to rule in politics
and society a score or two of years hence. They are
to cradle the men who through the press and the pul-
pit give tone to the religious sentiments of the gener-
ation to come. Whatever they are, their children
will be like them. Woman's responsibility to the
race is vast and incomprehensible.

The girl who wishes to be a grand, noble, useful
woman, a true mother, must be a noble-minded, truth-
ful, honorable, pure girl. If she yields herself to
vice and sin, it is not she alone that suffers ; for the
deformities of mind and character which she thus ac-
quires will follow along down the ages, a legacy of
woe and shame, ineffaceable to the end of time. Let
overy girl who has not yet been led into vice and
sensuality think of this. When the tempter comes
to you, count the cost to yourself and to the race be-
fore you yield yourself to sinful indulgence. Think

170 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

how your mother, your father, or an innocent brother
would look upon you if your guilt were known to
them, and then think how the purity of Heaven
must regard such acts. Let the thought inspire in
your own heart the same abhorrence and loathing,
and you will be saved from the tempter's wiles.

Happy indeed is the girl who has come to woman-
hood with a mind untainted by sin, a character un-
sullied by vice ! The graces of simple innocence and
purity are gems above price. It is the earnest prayer
of the writer that God will aid these pages to inspire
in the hearts and minds of at least a few of those who
may peruse them, aspirations after purity, longings
for real beauty of character, such as will lead them to
seek the great Source of all goodness and purity and
wisdom for aid and guidance through the pitfalls and
perils of girlhood, to the attainment of a noble, ma-
ture, and useful womanhood.

The Young Lady.

* ■>«' *

YOUNG girl just budding into womanhood,
with a warm, loving heart, an innocent and
unsophisticated mind, rosy health upon her
cheeks, bounding vitality in her veins, and
a gay laugh in her voice, is the most beauti-
ful object the Creator ever made. The
critical period at which the change from
girlhood to womanhood occurs is known as

Puberty. — The physiological import of
this change has already been described, and
need not be further dilated upon here. The time at
which puberty occurs differs considerably in different
individuals as well as in the two sexes and in
the different races of human beings, always oc-
curring a little earlier in females than in males.
In this country, the average age at which the
change occurs in girls is fourteen years. In trop-
ical climates, the change occurs very much earlier.
It is stated that one of the wives of Mahomet was a
mother at ten years, and a case is on record in which
puberty occurred in a little girl at the age of two
years and pregnancy at eight. In cold climates, as
in Denmark, Sweden, and the adjacent countries, the
age of puberty is usually delayed to eighteen or nine-

[171]

172 THE LADIES* GUIDE.

teen years. In temperate climates like this it is not
infrequent to observe the change as early as eleven
or twelve years and as late as seventeen or eighteen.

Causes of Precocious Puberty. — Puberty is hast-
ened by a variety of causes besides that of the influ-
ence of climate just mentioned. In the cases of early
puberty which we have observed, the individuals
were of feeble constitution, nervous temperament and
decidedly precocious in other particulars as well as in
this. We believe this to be usually the case. Emo-
tional influences of any sort have a direct tendency
to hasten the change from girlhood to womanhood.
Theaters, social gatherings, dancing, etc., all have an
unhappy influence in this direction.

The influence of diet in hastening puberty is such
that it cannot be ignored. Stimulating foods Qf all
kinds, by their effect on the nervous system and the
circulation, stimulate the development of the sexual
system and thus have a tendency to hasten the change.

It may also be remarked that temperament seems
to have considerable influence in determining the pe-
riod at which puberty shall occur. Medical men have
observed that as a rule puberty occurs a little earlier
in brunettes than in blondes, and in persons of a nerv-
ous temperament than in those who are of a phleg-
matic disposition.

The national peculiarity in respect to the early or
late appearance of puberty seems to be preserved to a
greater or less degree even when a change of climate
is made. For example, puberty occurs one or two
years earlier in Jews in their native country than is

TEE YOUNG LADY. 173

the average with girls in this country, and the same
peculiarity is observed in Jewish children born in the
United States.

Influences which Delay Puberty. — Aside from
the influence of a cold climate, various other causes
affect the system in such a manner as to delay the
approach of puberty, in some persons even to a very
marked degree. Some considerable delay may occur
within the limits of health, but when the change does
not make its appearance within a year and a half or
two years of the time at which it usually occurs in
other females of the same family, medical advice
should be had, as there may be some fault in the con-
stitution, the correction of which may be aided by an
intelligent physician. We do not wish to intimate
that drugs should be given for the purpose of bring-
ing on the menstrual flow when it does not make its
appearance at the proper time : nothing could be
more unwise than this. A girl in whom puberty is
unnaturally delayed is usually undeveloped in other
particulars, and the proper thing to be done is to en-
force such habits of life, exercise, diet, sleep, etc., as
shall tend to promote growth and development. If
active disease of any sort is present, such as indiges-
tion, resulting in anaemia, nervous troubles of any
sort, etc., the proper remedies or means of treatment
should be employed to correct the defect.

Certain malformations of the sexual organs some-
times occur which prevent the appearance of the men-
strual flow after the other changes incident to puberty,
such as increased rapidity of growth, broadening of the

174 THE LADIES' GUIDE

hips, development of the breasts, etc., have occurred.
In such a case as this a skillful surgeon should
be consulted. In some cases it will be found that the
hymen is unnaturally developed, entirely closing
the mouth of the vagina, so that the menstrual flow
is left to accumulate in the vagina and uterus. Cases
of this sort have occurred in which the real cause was
not discovered until several years had elapsed, in
which time the accumulation had become so great as
to form what was supposed to be a large tumor. In
a few cases the vagina has been found to be absent,
while both uterus and ovaries were present. In both
of these classes of cases, a surgical operation is neces-
sary, and by the aid of it the obstruction can usually
be removed. Great skill, however, and experience
are required in the performance of such operations,
and care should be taken to consult for the purpose a
surgeon known to be wholly competent and experi-
enced in such cases.

A peculiar case, illustrating another cause of the
non-appearance of menstruation has recently come to
our attention. The case was that of a girl bereaved
of her mother at an early age, and left without the
care and advice of a lady friend. Being wholly ig-
norant of matters of the kind, she was not alarmed
that the menstrual flow did not mako its appear-
ance at the usual age, and in fact did not know
fhat she was in any way different from other girls
until many years after the usual time for the appear-
ance of the change. Becoming informed with ref
erence to the matter, she finally consulted a sur-

THE YOUNG LADY. 175

geon, who, upon making an examination and consult-
ing with other eminent physicians, arrived at the
conclusion that the case was one of deformity,
only the external organs being present, no trace of
either ovaries, uterus, or vagina being discoverable.
One very remarkable feature of this case was the fact
that the hips, breast, and other portions of the form
were developed in the characteristic manner which
is usually considered to be impossible without the in-
fluence of the ovaries.

Signs of the Approach of Puberty. — As the
time for the establishment of a new function ap-
proaches, various changes, mental and physical, begin
to make their appearance. Usually the physical de-
velopment becomes more rapid. The vital forces
seem to waken to new activity. The girl grows tall and
slender. In the course of a year or two, the breast be-
gins to expand, the hips to broaden, and the abdomen
to enlarge. The organs of generation increase in size
and become covered externally by an excessive devel-
opment of the hairy growth with which the whole body
is covered. In some, development takes place in the
hairs of the arm-pits and to some extent, in many
cases, over the greater portion of the body.

Mental changes of an equally well marked charac-
ter are also observed. If of a nervous temperament,
the little girl, though usually kind and affable, is likely
to become somewhat petulant and irritable. She is
restless and uneven of disposition, apt to become
easily excited, and subject to spells of depression and
despondency. A strong tendency to sentimentality

176 TEE LADIES' GUIDE.

is also manifest. Indeed, as one writer says, senti-
mentality is a malady incident to this period of girl-
hood as much as measles, mumps, chicken-pox, and
other diseases are incident to childhood.

Hygiene of Puberty. — When the above-mentioned
signs make their appearance, the mother's watchful
care should be called into still more active exercise.
The most strict attention should be given to every
habit of life which relates to mental and physical
health. The interests of the girl's moral nature
should also receive attention, as the turbulent condi-
tion of both mind and nervous system which fre-
quently occurs at this period of the girl's existence,
needs the calming and soothing effects of wholesome
religious influences.

Great care should be taken that a sufficient
amount of wholesome and nutritious food is eaten
regularly and at proper hours. At this period, the
appetite is often capricious, and frequently new and
strange appetites are developed which need to be
restrained, while there may be suddenly manifested a
strange aversion for the simple and wholesome food
which has before been eaten with relish. Fruits and
grains should chiefly constitute the diet. Oatmeal,
cracked wheat, graham bread, milk, and fruit, with
various grain preparations, furnish the very materials
which are most needed for the proper development of
the system at this time, and in the very best possible
form. Meat should be used sparingly. The idea that
girls at this time require a large amount of mutton,
beef-steak, eggs, and other stimulating and exciting

THE YOUNG LADY.

food, is a very great mistake. It is much better that
the system should be undisturbed by stimulating in-
fluences of any sort.

Too early indications of the occurrence of puberty
are just cause for solicitude on the part of the mother,
and call for the employment of all such measures as
will tend to prevent premature development. It
should be recollected that early decay is very certain
to be the result of precocious development.

The changes which occur at puberty require but a
very short time for their completion. In fact, the ra-
pidity with which such extraordinary changes may
occur is very remarkable. Such extraordinary de-
mands on the vital forces of the individual make this
the most critical of all periods in a woman's life. At
this time is often laid the foundation for a whole life-
time of suffering. A large share of the peculiar
troubles with which women are afflicted originate in
indiscretions occurring at this time. The ignorance
of mothers and their failure to instruct their daugh-
ters when they themselves are informed respecting
the dangers incident to this period of life, undoubt-
edly result in a vastly greater amount of disease and
premature death than the " ills of maternity " which
are often charged with being the bane of a woman's
life and the cause of the greater portion of her suffer-
ings.

We cannot emphasize too emphatically the impor-
tance of giving proper instruction at the right time.
Mothers should first inform themselves thoroughly re-
specting the physiological changes which puberty in-

178 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

volves, and the possible dangers which may arise, and
should then give their daughters explicit and careful
instruction respecting the care of their health during
this critical period.

We have met hundreds of cases in which women
have suffered all through life in consequence of the
want of instruction at the proper time. Within a few
hours of the time of this writing, we have been con-
sulted by a lady of unusual intelligence and most brill-
iant talents, whose whole life has been made miser-
able with pain and suffering in consequence of inad-
vertent imprudence during this period. A little in-
struction at this time would have saved all these
years of suffering and added greatly to the usefulness
of one whose rare gifts qualified her for wide useful-
ness. Notwithstanding her disabilities and the great
obstacles thrown in her way by feeble and uncertain
health, she had accomplished a great amount of good
and won an enviable position in society; but just
when she was by experience and influence prepared
to accomplish the greatest good, her nervous system
gave way under the double strain of physical suffer-
ing and mental labor. Though fond of children and
devoting her whole life to efforts in behalf of poor lit-
tle waifs, she had herself to remain childless in conse-
quence of disability suffered from ignorant violation
of nature's laws at the establishment of the menstrual
function.

Some time ago a young lady was brought to us
for treatment who had suffered for years from a sim-
ilar cause. The menstrual function made its appear-

THE YOUNG LADY. 179

ance, she was alarmed and distressed, and having
never been taught to make a confident of her mother,
especially on subjects of this kind, she said nothing
about the matter, but brooded over it and mourned
about it until reason was nearly dethroned. In this
condition she roamed about through snow and rain
exposing herself to the searching cold of an early
winter day, at one time remaining out during the
whole night, her clothing becoming saturated to the
skin and her whole body thoroughly chilled. This
was repeated at nearly every menstrual period. It
resulted, of course, in the production of serious local
disease in a very short time giving rise to severe pain
in connection with menstruation, which increased her
mental disturbance. This led to the discovery of her
real condition by her friends, but they too were igno-
rant of what should be done under the circumstances;
instead of placing the girl under the care of a skillful
physician she was sent to school. Close confinement
to her studies and the constant recurrence of a period
of suffering, led to the appearance or nervous symp-
toms, which finally terminated in what her physician
pronounced to be a serious attack of inflammation of
the brain. For weeks she was very near death's
door. She finally rallied, however, but was left in a
helpless condition from complete paralysis of the
lower extremities.

The above was the condition in which we found
her. The history of the case led us to make a care-
ful local examination, the result of which was simply
astounding. It scarcely seemed possible that disease

180 THE LADIES' GUIDE

could have obtained so firm a hold upon one so young
and in so short a space of time. The uterus and
ovaries were both involved in most serious disease,
the womb being enormously enlarged from repeated
inflammation, and prolapsed to such a degree as to be
almost ready to make its exit into the external
world, and exquisitely sensitive, as were all the sur-
rounding tissues. After many months of treatment
the patient was restored to a fair degree of health,
regaining the use of her limbs and being almost
wholly relieved of the severe menstrual pain which
she had suffered from almost the beginning of the
function. In this case an unusually intelligent, amia-
ble girl was well-nigh ruined for life by the injuries
resulting from want of knowledge.

As before remarked, we believe it to be the sol-
emn duty of mothers to thoroughly inform themselves
on this subject, and then impart to their daughters
the needed information. Indeed, one of the strongest
motives which has actuated us in the preparation of
this volume has been the hope that we might, by call-
ing attention to these facts, induce at least a few
mothers to give their daughters timely warning of the
necessity of special care and watchfulness at the
time the menstrual function is being established and
at the monthly recurrence of each subsequent period.
Young girls, especially at this period, are often quite
reckless respecting the care of their health. This is
particularly the case if they have never been previ-
ously taught to regard the preservation of their
health as a sacred duty and a moral obligation as

THE YOUNG LADY. 181

binding upon them as any other. No pains should
be spared to impress upon them the fact that the
first two or three years after puberty are pretty cer-
tain to exert an influence of no trifling character
upon their whole subsequent life. After the men-
strual function becomes thoroughly established, it is
not so easily disturbed, but at this time, when nature
is just establishing the changes incident to the per-
formance of this function, very slight causes may
produce serious disturbance.

One who is acquainted with these facts is often
appalled at the recklessness which young wTomen
sometimes exhibit. An invitation to a party or con-
cert or even a fashionable ball is not refused even if
the weather may be such as to make it highly impru-
dent for a young lady passing through a catameniai
period, to venture out of doors, to say nothing of the
disturbing influences to which she will be likely to be
subjected, such as the violent and prolonged exercise
of dancing, confinement in a close and overheated
lecture-room, occasioning profuse perspiration to be
followed by a chill on coming out in the cold, damp
air, etc. The necessity for rest and especial care at
this period has long been recognized among uncivil-
ized nations. We find evidence also, that this
fact was duly appreciated among the ancient Jews.
Their wise law-giver, Moses, considered the matter of
sufficient importance to place in his code of regula-
tions known as the " ceremonial law," certain rules to
govern tfie conduct of women during this period.
The Jewish women were required to leave the camp

182 THE LADIES GUIDE.

with all its burdens, excitements, and anxieties, and
withdraw to a quiet and secluded place, where they
might enjoy quiet and rest during the performance of
the menstrual function. A similar custom still pre-
vails among Indian women, who, as is well known,
suffer very little at child-birth, a fact which we be-
lieve is very closely related to the care which they
exercise when " unwell/'

In conclusion, we would summarize the precau-
tions to be observed at the approach of puberty and
at the menstrual period as follows : —

1. Maintain the general health in every way pos-
sible. This can best be done by proper food, which
means a simple and unstimulating dietary; abundant
exercise in the fresh air with exposure to the sun ;
proper clothing, which means warmly clothing the
limbs as well as the trunk of the body and avoiding
stays, corsets, belts, and tightness of the dress about
the waist as well as suspension of the skirts from the
hips; and proper rest at proper times with perfect
regularity of all the habits of life.

2. While the young girl should not be allowed to
engage in any kind of hard or taxing labor, it is much
better that both mind and body should be occupied
by light and, if possible, congenial employment. Even
too much labor is less injurious than idleness, but it
should be recollected that while the body is forming
and new functions are being developed neither mus-
cles nor nerves will bear the amount of taxation which
maturely developed tissues are able to endure.

3. When the menstrual period makes its appear-

THE YOUNG LADY. 183

ance or a day or two before, if the symptoms are such
as to make its approach apparent, the girl should be
relieved of taxing duties of every description, and
should be allowed to yield herself to the feeling of
malaise which usually comes over her at this period,
lounging on the sofa or using her time as she pleases
provided it is not in the perusal of sensational stories
or in too great devotion to fancy-work, or any other
occupation in which an unhealthful or strained posi-
tion has to be assumed.

4. The greatest care should be taken to avoid tak-
ing cold, as the most serious maladies are often
brought upon women by exposure at this time. To
accomplish this, it is not necessary that the person
should be confined constantly in a heated room. The
overheating of rooms is the most common cause of
susceptibility to colds, hence it is much better that
the body should be inured to a certain degree of cold
so that very slight exposures cannot affect the system
injuriously. The susceptibility to colds may also be
to a very great extent overcome by the habit of tak-
ing daily or tri-weekly baths. The bath should not
be a hot one, but its temperature should not be so low
as to be uncomfortable. Water at eighty degrees is
twenty degrees below the temperature of the body,
and cool enough to produce tonic effects on the skin
without chilling the person uncomfortably. The
clothing of the feet is a matter of very great impor-
tance, as getting the feet wet is the most common of
all means by which women contract colds at this pe-
riod. It is not necessary that the shoes should be

184 TEE LADIES' GUIDE.

saturated in order to produce a cold: when thin shoes
are worn, the wetting of the soles, by which the bot-
toms of the feet become chilled by evaporation of
moisture from the soles of the shoes, is sufficient to
induce a severe cold in a sensitive person.

5. During the catamenial period, the mind should
be kept in a calm and undisturbed condition. Intense '
grief, sudden anger, or even exuberant joy have been
known to suddenly check the menstrual function in
the midst of the period. Severe mental application
sometimes produces the same results. These effects
are produced through the connection of the nerve cen-
ters of the brain and spinal cord with the uterus.
Numerous experiments have shown that the circula-
tion through the uterus is greatly affected by mental
states.

6. Notwithstanding all the preceding precautions
which we have given, we think it important to add
that constant watching of symptoms or apprehension
of possible or impossible dangers is quite as injurious
us inattention to the points we have mentioned.
While mothers should be watchful and solicitous for
the welfare of their daughters at the ushering in of
the menstrual function and for a few years following,
they should by no means consider it thoir duty to
yield to every caprice or to gratify every fancy which
may be manifested by their daughters at this period.
This sort of care is an injury rather than a benefit.
Intelligent supervision and watch care guided by rea-
son is what girls require to enable them to pass
through the critical period of puberty and early
womanhood with safety.

THE YOUNG LADY. 185

Education of Young Ladies. — The education of
young ladies is a question which has been widely dis-
cussed during the last few years. A variety of po-
sitions have been taken by prominent educators with
respect to this question, and the discussion has not as
yet resulted in a complete and thorough settlement
of all the problems involved. We have not space
in this little work to consider the subject in all its
phases, but we cannot avoid at least a brief considera-
tion of the subject from the stand-point of its relation
to health.

Home Training. — Of first importance in the ed-
ucation of a young lady is proper home training and
education. The young lady who has acquired all the
culture and accomplishments which can be secured in
the schools, but has no knowledge of the simple arts
so necessary to the making of a home, and the proper
training of a family has neglected the most important
part of her education. The general prevalence of this
defect is becoming alarming. The girls of the pres-
ent generation are as a rule far less skillful in bread-
making, house-cleaning, and the other household arts,
than in piano-playing, elocution, and similar accom-
plishments. This condition of affairs is becoming
more and more common in this country. The poor
mother, who has become worn out with arduous toil
in the rearing of her family and in providing them
with comforts and luxuries, seldom has a daughter
who is able to take her place in the kitchen, at the
wash-tub, or at the ironing-table. Unfortunate as is
this state of things for the broken-down mother, as

186 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

for her imperfectly educated daughter, mothers are
themselves generally responsible for it. Mothers
who have been brought up to a life of usefulness and
labor, often become infected with the popular notion
that physical labor is ungenteel and unladylike, and
determine that their daughters shall be " brought up
differently from what they were." Imagining that
they are going to make their daughters something
more than women, and prepare them for a sphere
something above that of true womanhood, these silly
mothers toil and slave in the kitchen while their
daughters sing and thrum the piano in the parlor, or
simper and drawl nonsense in the drawing-room with
some shallow-pated fop. The mother rises at early
dawn to prepare the breakfast while her useless
daughters are sleeping off the effects of their midnight
dissipation in the ball-room. Reared in idleness to
habits of uselessness, the hard earnings of father and
mother are spent in lavishing upon them accomplish-
ments which can be of no service to them in after life.
Such daughters are unfit to meet the realities of life,
and are utterly devoid of the real accomplishments
which go to make up womanly character and which
would fit them for the performance of the duties of
wife and mother in their mature years.

The fact is that the average modern young wo-
man is accomplished to the point of actual uselessness.
What women as a rule need is a more solid education.
We do not object to accomplishments if they are not
acquired at the expense of that thorough training
which lies at the very foundation of real refinement

THE YOUNG LADY. 187

and usefulness. How many young women fritter
away their time and waste their lives in devotion to
nothings. A young woman who is able to sing and
play the piano skillfully, to dance gracefully, to
talk "small talk" fluently, to dress "to kill," to
sketch a landscape passably, to embroider, to knit
lace collars, to jabber a little French and German,
may be able to satisfy the demands of society, but
may be utterly wanting in that kind of culture which
contributes to the real happiness of life. Such a per-
son, as a quaint writer once said, is " all ruffle and no
garment."

- Nothing contributes more to the formation of a
sound character than a knowledge of the humble in-
dustries which contribute to the making of a happy
home. A long stride will be made toward the mil-
lenium for which so many long and which some
fondly believe to be approaching, when a training in
useful labor shall be considered as the first and most
important part of a young lady's education; when
girls are taught to do their part in the world's work,
and that to be able to do it well is the highest posi-
tion and the greatest happiness to which they may
hope to attain.

A mother cannot do her daughter greater injury
than to allow her to grow up ignorant of household
duties and unaccustomed to useful labor, yet mothers
are so utterly blind to their duties in this respect
that it is not to be wondered at that the rising gener-
ation of girls is vastly inferior to their predecessors.
An omen for good is the establishment in many large

188 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

cities of cooking-schools and schools for training
nurses ; and there is some prospect that this country
will soon possess institutions similar to those already
established in England in which girls can learn a va-
riety of useful employments, and also receive training
in domestic duties.

Popular sentiment needs to be educated in the
right direction, and we believe that in the better
classes of society at least some little advancement is
being made, thanks to the labors of such noble and
talented women as Mrs. Livermore, and Mrs. Jane
Swisshelm, whose eloquent words in popular lectures
and magazine articles have so graphically portrayed
the follies of fashionable education, and the advan-
tages of practical training as to convict thousands of
mothers of the wickedness and folly of the popular
methods of educating daughters, and have thus given
an impulse to a reform the influence of which we
trust may widen and deepen until the tide of fash-
ionable folly is checked. The national Woman's
Christian Temperance Union under the masterly lead-
ership of Miss Francis E. Willard has recently organ-
ized a work in this direction the influence of which
eternity alone can tell. The introduction of the
" health plank" into the platform of this organization,
which we regard as the very backbone of the present
wonderful temperance movement, was an epoch of
most momentous significance. Women are of all oth-
ers the very ones to institute and carry forward this
great reform, and the same indomitable* energy, un-
flagging perseveranoe, and irresistible determination

THE YOUNG LADY. 189

which has marked the work of the leaders of this or-
ganization will secure the same happy results which
have followed their efforts in behalf of temperance
reform

School Education. — There is no doubt but that
school-life has an important influence on the health of
young ladies, particularly those just entering woman-
hood. School-girls between the ages of twelve and
twenty ofteitt suffer life-long injury as the result of
too close amplication to their studies. They are stim-
ulated by Jne spirit of competition Which is fostered
in most Aiools, or compelled by the rigorous disci-
pline tonrhich they are subjected in some schools,
particiwly young ladies' seminaries, and the ambition
of teacftrs and parents to prepare them for gradua-
tion inj;he shortest possible space of time. The ap-
pearance on the stage, at the commencement exer-
cises of some of our schools, of " young girl gradu-
ates" with frail forms and a hectic flush on their
cheeks and a weak and overstimulated nervous sys-
tem, is an exceedingly common spectacle. Soon
after graduation, if not before, these overworked girls,
having escaped from the cramming process to which
they have been subjected for years, are turned over
to the physician to be put in repair physically. Not
infrequently the physician finds this by no means an
easy task. The physical education has been so ut-
terly neglected, while the nervous system has been
overstimulated and overworked with the artificial
educational process to which the patient has been
subjected almost from early girlhood, that there is no
foundation upon which to build the superstructure of

190 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

health. Such girls go through life weakly from suf-
fering, and unable to make any use of the knowledge
which they have obtained, even if some portion of it
may have been of a character likely to be of use, and
too often the prospects for health and usefulness have
been blighted by devotion to accomplishments of little
or no practical value in life.

Girls have been charged with being unequal to
boys in mental calibre, and their breakdowns in the
midst of a course of study or just after its completion
have been attributed to a natural mental inferiority.
We believe, however, that the female brain is equally
as capable of mastering the studies usually pursued
in our schools and colleges when the education of the
boy and girl have been the same from early childhood.
Unless the young lady's early training has been such
as to dwarf her intellect and check the development
of her mental faculties, she ought to be in every way
the intellectual peer of her brother.

An argument for the mental inferiority of women
has been based on the fact that the brain of man is
larger than that of woman. A comparison of a ft
large number of brains of both sexes has shown that
in males the average weight is 49 i ounces, and in fe-
males 44 ounces, a difference of 5 i ounces, or about
ten per cent in favor of the maie brain. This fact
has been used until it has become threadbare by.
those who oppose the coeducation of the sexes and
the granting to woman an equal share with man in
the various walks of life. There is a certain class of
men, and now and then a woman also, who delight to
descant on the inferiority of woman, and dilate upon

THE YOUNG LADT. 191

the asserted fact that she is a " weaker vessel " and
hence unqualified to fill most of the positions of trust,
responsibility, and honor after which men aspire.
Some little time ago, a specious article upon this sub-
ject appeared in one of the popular monthlies under
the heading " Science and the Woman Question," in
which the author — a woman — took strong ground in
favor of the position that woman is decidedly inferior
to man in mental capacity. The general interest
taken in this subject by both sides warrants us in de-
voting to its consideration a larger amount of space
than would be otherwise justifiable. Let us consider
some of the arguments advanced in favor of the posi-
tion named. It is undoubtedly true that the average
female brain is some 5 J ounces less in weight than
the male brain ; but those who use this argument with
so much force, carefully conceal the fact that the
proper measure of brain capacity is not its absolute
size, but rather its proportionate size, or the size or
weight of the brain compared with the bulk or weight
of the individual. The element of quality must also
be taken into consideration, as we shall show pres-
ently.

Now while it is true that the female brain is five
ounces lighter than the male brain, it is also true that
the average woman is something like twenty-five
pounds lighter in weight than the average man, the
average man weighing 145 pounds, and the average
woman 125 pounds. Dividing the weight of the
average man by the average weight of his brain,
we very readily ascertain the weight of the male
brain to be 1-47 that of the body. By a similar

192 THE LADIEff GUIDE.

process we find that the average female brain is
a little less than 1-45 of the weight of the aver-
age female. It thus appears at once, that if the argu-
ment respecting the size of the brain amounts to any-
thing, it proves that the female brain is superior to
that of the male. The above conclusion would not be
a just one, however, for, as all close students of psy-
chology are well aware, the element of quality, as
before remarked, must be considered as well as that
of quantity in making a comparison between the
brains of persons of different race or of different
sex. The great naturalist Cuvier, carried a brain
weighing 64 i ounces — 15 ounces more than that of
the average male brain. Some years ago, a brick-
layer died in London whose brain was found to weigh
67 ounces. Notwithstanding the enormous size of
his brain, this individual never manifested during his
life any unusual degree of intelligence or mental ca-
pacity. Dr. Morris, who made the autopsy at Uni-
versity College Hospital in 1849, states that the
man's height was five feet and nine inches, his frame
robust, that he had a good memory, and was fond of
politics, but could neither read nor write. Dr. Biich-
ner records the brain weight of a man who was an
epileptic and whose brain weighed 64 £ ounces — ex-
actly the same as that of Cuvier. The largest female
brain of which we have any record weighed 61 i
ounces. It was possessed by a woman who was a
monomaniac.

Some recent studies in the subject of brain weiglit
in the Chinese race show very interesting results
which have a direct bearing on this subject. The ob-

THE YOUNG LADY 193

servations were made by Dr. Clapham, and reported
by him in the Journal of the Anthropological Insti-
tute. Dr. Clapham found the average weight of the
brains which he examined to be : in males, 50 J
ounces; in females, 45 ounces. The possessors of
these brains were not in the higher classes of Chinese,
but were Coolies, who are the lowest class of Chinese
society. Notwithstanding this fact, the average weight
of the brain in the males was one ounce greater than
that of the average European man, and in the females
one and one half ounces greater than that of the aver-
age European woman. Now if the premises upon
which the arguments for the supposed mental inferi-
ority of women are based, are good for anything, they
will prove beyond a possibility of doubt that the av-
erage Chinaman is greatly superior, intellectually, to
the average European male, and the same for Chinese
women.

The investigations of physiologists have shown
that the brain weight of the average negro is precisely
the same as that of the brain of the average European
woman. As the intellectual inferiority of the negro
male to the European male is universally acknowl-
edged, it would follow, allowing the premises to be
correct, that the average European woman must be
intellectually inferior to the average European man ;
but the facts stated in the preceding paragraph con-
clusively prove that this method of reasoning is an
incorrect one. As stated before, the element of qual-
ity must be taken into consideration, in investiga-
tions of this subject. The relation of brain qual-
ity to the brain function is well recognized by biolo-

194 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

gists in the study of the mental functions in lower
animals, and why should not the same principle be
applied to the study of mind in human beings?
Dr. W. Lauder Lindsay, in his admirable and ex-
haustive work on " Mind in the Lower Animals," calls
attention to this fact by numerous examples, one of
the most striking of which we present in his own
language : —

" The Nuehr and other savages depend for sub-
sistence solely on what nature produces, therefore nei-
ther sow nor plant, and consequently are frequently
on the verge on starvation. The Veddas of Ceylon
live without any system of cultivation, and the Bush-
men of Southern Africa have neither flocks nor culti-
vated grounds. On the other hand, according to the
observations of Dr. Lincecum, who has carefully stud-
ied its habits since 1848, there is in Mexico, Texas,
and other parts of North America, an ant which has
been distinctively called the i agricultural ' or ' har-
vesting ' ant. It not only stores up seed, but culti-
vates the plants which are to provide it, and carefully
gathers in its crop at the right season. ... In
the wet season the seeds in the ant granaries are apt
to get wet and sprout ; and, accordingly, on the first
fine day the ants bring out all the damaged grain and
set it in the sun to dry, returning to the store only
such as is uninjured. These ants may truly be said
to cultivate their estates. They have grass paddocks
around their estate nests, and they weed these pad-
docks. From their fields they bear off all herbage
save Aristida Strigia, a grain-bearing grass, called by
Dr. Lincecum ' ant rice,' and they sow the seeds of

THE YOUNG LADY. 195

the same grass. When ripe, the grain is harvested
and the chaff removed. Several other grains or seeds
of grasses and other plants are gathered and garnered
in a similar way. These ants, therefore, sow, reap,
and store grain for winter use. If the grain is set
sprouting by damp from inundations it is dried in the
sun on fine days — it is exposed, that is, only during
the day and during sunshine, being taken in-doors at
night. According to Belt, certain leaf-cutting ants of
Nicaragua cultivate fungi on decomposing leaves in
their subterranean nests, ' the ants cutting and storing
the leaves for the sake of the fungi which are subse-
quently developed in the debris.'"

It will not be disputed that the ants above de-
scribed are in some respects superior to the tribes of
savages with whom they are compared, notwithstand-
ing that the brain of the ant, such as it possesses, is '
a mere atom compared with that of a Bushman.

Bastian, in the exhaustive work to which we have
previously referred, gives the weight of the brain in
a large number of distinguished men, among others
those of Tiedmann, the celebrated anatomist, and
Hausemann, the eminent mineralogist; the brain of
the former weighing 44.2 ounces, barely above that
of the average woman, and that of the latter 43.2
ounces, considerably below the weight of the average
female brain. Speaking of the relation of brain weight
to intelligence, Bastian says, "It seems perfectly
plain from the facts recorded that there is no neces-
sary or invariable relation between the degree of intel-
ligence of human beings and the mere size and weight
of a brain. Looking in fact to the mere size nnd

196 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

weight of a brain, it must never be forgotten . . .
that an organ of a large size or weight may yet be a
more or less inferior perceptive or thinking instrument
by reason of its inner and finer developments being
defective and badly attuned for harmonious action.
Or again, it may be a defective instrument by reason
of some still more subtle and mere molecular pecul-
iarities of the nerve elements of which it is composed \
whereby these are perhaps both less receptive and
less ' retentive ' of those sensorial impressions which
constitute the raw material of intelligence, and also
less capable than they might be of taking part in
higher mental operations. There is, therefore, no in-
variable or necessary relation between the mere brain-
weights of individuals and their degrees of intelli-
gence."

Bastian also mentions the fact that " the male
brain actually attains 5-6ths, and the female brain
10-llths of its total ultimate weight by the end of
the seventh year, although at this time the inner
and finer structural development of the organ is, in all
its higher tracts, still in a comparatively embryonic
condition." This eminent author draws from this
fact the following conclusion : —

"Even such data might, therefore, be considered
to show, in the strongest manner, how comparatively
unimportant is mere bulk or weight of brain in refer-
ence to the degree of intelligence of its owner, when
considered, as it often is, apart from the much more
important question of the relative amount of its gray
matter, as well as of the amount and perfection of the

THE YOUNG LADY. 197

minute internal development of the organ either act-
ual or possible."

It thus appears that no less eminent authority
than Dr. Bastian recognizes the fact that the quality
of brain structure is of far greater importance than
quantity, while he, as well as all other investigators
in this line, hold to the position that average brain
size is, all other things being taken into considera-
tion, a fair measure of the average intelligence of a
race or class of people. It is reasonable to suppose
that more extended investigations and deeper research
into the finer elements of brain structure may only
establish the fact that differences in mental capacity
observed in different races and classes result as much
from differences in the quality of the structure as in
the quantity of the brain matter.

Use has also been made of the fact that the lower
limit of brain power in women, that is, the point at
which human intelligence vanishes, is below that of
males. Broca, as quoted by Bastian, places the
lowest limit at which ordinary intelligence may be
manifested in females at 32 ounces, and in males at
37 ounces. A recent writer* in a popular magazine
concludes from this fact that the male brain is supe-
rior to that of the female, although to persons of "or-
dinary intelligence" it would seem to be apparent
that the female brain-matter must be superior to the
cerebral tissue of males since a smaller amount of it is
capable of manifesting intelligence. But we consider

* Miss Emma Hardaker, Popular Science Monthly, March,
1882.

198 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

it doubtful whether any correct conclusion can be
drawn from such data as this, owing to the fact to
which we previously called attention, that in these
investigations no account was taken of the propor-
tionate weight of the brain as compared with the rest
of the body, which seems to us too important a mat-
ter to be ignored. We ate by no means prepared to
accept the arguments offered by the writer above men-
tioned, who says, "It is most probable that we may
at some time establish an exact correspondence be-
tween brain substance and intelligence, as the size
and condition of the lungs yield an exact measure
of the breathing power and as the contractile muscle
of the heart measures the amount of blood ejected at
each pulsation."

This is but a partial view of the case. Breathing
power, as we have often demonstrated, depends as
much upon the quality of the respiratory apparatus
as upon its size. We have frequently met cases of
very great lung capacity in persons much below
the average stature. The same is true of the work-
ing power of the heart. The amount of blood which
the heart can eject depends as much upon the quality
of the muscle and its nervous connections as upon the
size of the heart. The same is true of the stomach
and other organs. The amount of food which the in-
dividual can digest depends not alone upon the size
of the stomach, but upon the quality of the stomach
and the digestive juices secreted by it.

While it may be true, as the writer referred to
states, that the average man eats and assimilates one-
fifth more food than the average woman, there is no

THE YOUNG LADY. 199

good ground for the conclusion that because a man
eats more he thinks more. Again, it is undoubtedly
true that a larger amount of muscle enables him to
make a greater expenditure of force, but this can
readily be accounted for by the greater amount of
muscular activity in man as compared with woman.
The author reasons on the supposition that " the brain
of man has the same proportion to the weight of his
body that the brain of woman has to the weight of
her body," which we have previously shown to be in-
correct, the average female brain being greater in pro-
portion to the weight of the body than the average
male brain. It thus appears that while the brain of
woman might not be equal in absolute size, it might
still receive as large an amount of blood and utilize
as great an amount of force on account of its greater
proportionate size.

The same writer also bases an argument on the
fact that woman expends a large amount of force in
the functions of motherhood, which he assumes as
about one-twentieth part of the total amount of vital
force during the child-bearing period. In this argu-
ment an important fact is overlooked, namely, that
during the period of pregnancy, when the mother's
vital powers are taxed in an extraordinary degree, a
more than commensurate increase occurs in the force-
producing capacities of the mother. This fact is well
recognized by physiologists, and ought not to be ig-
nored in this discussion. It is well known that a
woman usually gains in flesh during the period of
pregnancy, and women often enjoy a higher degree of
health at this period than when in their usual

200 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

conditions. In view of this fact, it appears to
be fair to draw the conclusion that motherhood is
really a gain to an individual in the ability to mani-
fest force rather than a loss, at any rate, during the
period in which the functions of maternity may be
exercised.

Another fact is worifcy of attention in this con-
nection, namely, that the transmission of character-
istics from the mother to the daughter by heredity is
scarcely if any greater than from the father to the
daughter. If woman's training and education through
generations has been such as to develop her mental
faculties less than those of man, the deteriorating influ-
ences of these circumstances must be neutralized by
heredity, since mothers are as likely to transmit their
enfeebled mental qualities to their sons as to their
daughters, and fathers as likely to transmit their su-
perior mental development to their daughters as to
their sons. The seeming contradictions to this state-
ment may be readily accounted for by the fact that
girls have not, at least until recently, enjoyed the
same opportunities for developing the mental powers
which they might possess as have boys, so that supe-
rior inherited mental qualifications have undoubtedly
in thousands of instances lain dormant in women be-
cause their circumstances were not such as to expand
and develop them.

But suppose that those who so arduously seek to
demonstrate the mental inferiority of woman were
able to establish their point, what conclusion has been
reached ? Simply the fact that through a long course
of injudicious training, woman has become mentally as

THE YOUNG LADY. 201

well as physically inferior to man. That such a dif-
ference, if it exists, is simply the result of education,
cannot be doubted. All the evidence necessary for
the demonstration of this fact is afforded by an ob-
servation made by Vogt, as quoted by Bastian in his
recent admirable work entitled " The Brain as an Or-
gan of Mind," that the difference between the size of
the brain in males and females is much less in unciv-
ilized than in civilized nations. This is undoubtedly
due to the fact that in races which are in a low state
of culture the occupations for physical and mental
labor are more nearly alike. As Vogt remarks,
" Among the Australians, the Bushmen, and other low
races possessing no fixed habitations, the wTife par-
takes of all her husband's toils, and has, in addition,
the care of the progeny. The sphere of occupation
is the same for both sexes ; whilst among civilized
nations there is a division both in physical and men-
tal labor. If it be true that every organ is strength-
ened by exercise, increasing in size and weight, it
must equally apply to the brain, which must become
more developed by proper mental exercise."

The observations made by Le Bon, also quoted by
Bastian, show that the difference between the capac-
ity of the skulls of males and females among modern
Parisians is about double that of the ancient Egyp-
tians. From these facts we may legitimately draw the
conclusion that the difference in the mental develop-
ment of men and women is wholly the result of differ-
ences in training and education which have been oper-
ating through many generations. If this is the case,
certainly it is about time that woman had a chance to

202 TEE LADIES' GUIDE.

regain her lost capacity ; and instead of being an argu-
ment against the demands made for woman for wider
opportunities for culture, it is the best possible argu-
ment which could be urged in favor of affording her
such opportunities. Indeed, it is evident that she
ought to be provided with better opportunities for
culture and development than man, who has so long
enjoyed a monopoly of these advantages.

Coeducation of the Sexes. — The question of the
coeducation of young men and young women has been
much discussed during recent years. The question
is important, but we have not here space to give it
more than a very brief consideration. Under proper
restrictions as to intercourse with each other, we re-
gard the coeducation of boys and girls as beneficial to
both, in accustoming each to the society of the other,
and conducive to the development of desirable traits
and the repression of undesirable ones in both sexes.
The difficulties in preventing too intimate associations
of the sexes during school-life are sometimes so great,
or the necessary restrictions so imperfectly main-
tained, that whatever advantages might be derived
from proper associations are much more than neu-
tralized by the evil results of too great intimacy
between the sexes. A school at which boys and
girls or young men and young women, are allowed
to associate without the restraint of rigorous discipline
and the enforcement of wholesome regulations, is a
dangerous place for either sex ; and schools in which
the sexes are strictly isolated are decidedly preferable
to such schools as these, which are, unfortunately, far
too common. It may, in fact, be regarded as abso-

THE YOUNG LADY. 203

lutely impossible for a faculty or board of trustees, in
a school for both sexes, to prevent serious evils from
growing out of the close associations of school-life and
the opportunities for improper and injurious alliances,
without the thorough cooperation of the parents of the
students and of the community in which the school is
located. This fact is well evidenced by the frequent
occurrence of scandals in connection with colleges and
seminaries and the numerous elopements and prema-
ture marriages which originate in the too intimate as-
sociation of the sexes during school-life.

The great objection which is urged against the
coeducation of the sexes is that women have no
practical use for the scientific and classical studies to
the acquirement of which a great portion of the period
of study in our colleges is devoted. It should be
borne in mind, however, that the discipline derived
from a thorough course of training in the classics and
sciences is really of far greater value than the mere
knowledge obtained. The Iliad and the Odyssey
may be forgotten ; the abstractions of mental philos-
ophy may sink into oblivion ; time may efface almost
the last trace of the knowledge of facts so laboriously
acquired ; but the acumen of thought, the power of
critical analysis, the strength and independence of char-
acter gained by the labor put forth in the acquisition
of knowledge, can never be lost while reason remains
enthroned. The majority of men who graduate from
colleges do not spend their lives in translating Greek
poems nor in solving the problems of Euclid. Proba-
bly two-thirds or three-fourths never look into their
Greek or Latin text-books six months after they re-

204 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

ceive their diplomas. Their school studies are for-
saken and soon forgotten ; but the mental discipline
which they received in their pursuit remains with
them as valuable capital to be invested in any enter-
prise in which they may embark.

A sensible woman who has been thoroughly edu-
cated in the classics, mathematics, chemistry, and ge-
ology, need not necessarily make herself ridiculous
by quoting Latin or Greek passages to her visitors, or
spend her whole time in the collection of specimens
of rocks and minerals, or in chemical investigations
for the detection of some new metal, or in midnight
observations for the discovery of a comet or a new
planet. The mental training, the habits of close
thought, the power of independent reasoning and in-
vestigation which the woman of sound mind acquires
in a thorough college course are of as great benefit to
her in the performance of household duties as to her
equally well educated brother engaged in the various
departments of business life.

Overstudy at Critical Periods. — The only real
evil result to woman which can be made to appear as
growing out of the coeducation of the sexes is the
possibility of overstudy when the system requires
tranquility of mind and rest of body. As previously
remarked, the girl who is approaching puberty should
be relieved of severe burdens of any kind. She is
not prepared to sustain any severe tax of either mind
or body, and if at this time she is compelled to keep
pace with others whose conditions are not such as to
demand shorter lessons and less severe mental taxa-
tion, the exhaustion of the nervous system which

THE YOUNG LADY. 205

may result may interfere seriously with the proper
completion of the approaching changes in her physi-
cal system intended to result in the establishment of
an important function. There is no doubt that girls
have sometimes been injured by overstudy at this
critical period.

What is true of the few months preceding the es-
tablishment of the menstrual function is also true of
the few days attending each subsequent occurrence of
the flow during the first years after the establishment
of this function, especially the first two or three.
Girls require rest of both body and mind at the men-
strual period. This should not be absolute, but noth-
ing taxing should be imposed upon them. They are
not able to do their best physically nor mentally at
this period, as the forces of the system are in part oc-
cupied in the performance of vital functions not un-
der the control of the will.

From these facts it appears that girls between the
ages of twelve and eighteen should not be expected
to do so large an amount of work as boys of equal
mental capacity, and hence it appears that certain
dangers may arise from the competition of the sexes
in a school in wThich they are educated together.
This danger is by no means so great, however, as has
been claimed, since, as is well known to physiologists
and to all acute observers, girls develop mentally
more rapidly than boys. The mental capacity of a
girl at sixteen is usually equal to that of a boy at
eighteen, so that as a rule girls are able to accomplish
their school tasks much more rapidly than boys of
the same ages and with a less expenditure of vital

206 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

force. This being the case, the teacher who under-
stands the matter will readily obviate the liability to
injury which the young lady members of his classes
might otherwise suffer by showing them greater len-
iency during the week of the menstrual period, know-
ing that they will, if properly encouraged, readily
make up during the three following weeks the little
they may have dropped behind.

Those who use this argument against the coedu-
cation of the sexes seem to have lost sight of the fact
that it tells fully as much against the education of
girls together as against the coeducation of girls
and boys. If a girl cannot be educated in connec-
tion with a boy on account of her diminished ability
to study during the menstrual week, it is evident that
she cannot be educated with other girls, except those
whose menstrual week may happen to occur at the
same time as her own. The carrying out of this
principle would require that girls should be classified
according to the time of the occurrence of the men-
strual function as well as according to their mental
acquirements or ability. But we hope no one will
attempt to carry out this suggestion, as such a proj-
ect would certainly prove a failure on account of the
great variation of the time of the occurrence of the
menstrual function during the first few years after it
is established, the only time when it interferes to
any great extent with the other functions of the
body, mentally or physically.

From some considerable observation with refer-
ence to this subject we are convinced that the injury
which girls suffer from the system of coeducation is

THE YOUNG LADY. 207

not so much due to their sexual peculiarities as to the
improper methods to which they are subjected. The
process of cramming, so common in nearly all of our
popular schools, and particularly in young ladies' sem-
inaries, is really the cause of the greatest injury to
young girls. They suffer more than boys from this
" stuffing " process because of the diminished ability
to endure it to which they are subject at certain pe-
riods. We firmly believe that girls are fully able to
compete with boys of the same age in the study of any
of the subjects pursued in our schools and colleges,
provided natural and proper methods of instruction
are employed.

We ought not to leave this part of the subject
without calling attention to the fact that much of the
weakness and failure of girls during school-life is due
to improper habits of dress, improper food, want of
regular habits of rest, attendance at theaters,evening
parties, dances, etc., too little physical exercise, con-
finement in close and unventilated schoolrooms, sit-
ting upon hard and improperly made seats, bending
over desks which are equally improper and unsuitable
in construction, — all of these causes and many more,
among which may be included the vicious habit to
which we have called attention in a previous section,
are really the chief causes of the numerous break-
downs which are so common among school girls.

Novel- Reading. — The reading of works of fiction
is one of the most pernicious habits to which a young
lady can become devoted. When the habit is once
thoroughly fixed, it becomes as inveterate as the use
of liquor or opium. The novel-devotee is as much a

208 THE LADIES1 GUIDE,

slave as the opium-eater or the inebriate. The read-
ing of fictitious literature destroys the taste for sober,
wholesome reading and imparts an unhealthy stimulus
to the mind the effect of which is in the highest de-
gree damaging.

When we add to this the fact that a large share
of the popular novels of the day contain more or less
matter of a directly depraving character, presented in
such gilded form and specious guise that the work of
contamination may be completed before suspicion is
aroused, it should become apparent to every careful
mother that her daughters should be vigilantly
guarded against this dangerous source of injury and
possible ruin. We have dilated quite fully upon this
subject in a preceding section and will not enlarge
upon it here. We wish, however, to put ourself upon
record as believing firmly that the practice of novel
reading is one of the greatest causes of uterine dis-
ease in young women. There is no doubt that the
influence of the mind upon the sexual organs and
functions is such that disease may be produced in this
way. As remarked in the consideration of the physi-
ology of the reproductive organs, it is a common ob-
servation that the menstrual function may be sus-
pended suddenly as the result of grief or some
other strong emotion experienced by the individual.
Hemorrhage or profuse menstruation may result from
a similar cause. These facts demonstrate beyond the
possibility of question that the circulation in the
uterus and its appendages is greatly subject to
changes through the influence of the mind. Reading
of a character to stimulate the emotions and rouse

THE YOUNG LADY. 209

the passions may produce or increase a tendency to
uterine congestion, which may in turn give rise to a
great variety of maladies, including all the different
forms of displacement, the presence of which is indi-
cated by weak backs, painful menstruation, leucor-
rhoea, etc.

We do not insist that nothing should ever be read
but history, biography, or perfectly authentic accounts
of experiences in real life. There are undoubtedly
novels, such as Uncle Tom's Cabin, and one or two
others which we might mention, which have been
active agents in the accomplishment of great and
good results. Such novels are not likely to do any-
body any harm ; but the number of harmless works
of fiction is very limited indeed. Many works which
are considered among the standards of literature are
wholly unfit for. the perusal of young ladies who wish
to retain their simplicity of mind and purity of
thought. We have felt our cheeks burn more than
once when we have seen young school-girls intently
poring over the vulgar poems of Chaucer or the amor-
ous ditties of Burns or Byron. Still worse than any
of these are the low witticisms of Rabelais and Boc-
caccio ; and yet we have not infrequently seen these
volumes in the book-cases of family libraries readily
accessible to the young daughters or growing sons of
the family. The growing influence of this kind of
literature is far more extensive than can be readily
demonstrated. Thousands of women whose natural
love for purity leads them to shun and abhor every-
thing of an immoral tendency, yet find themselves
obliged to wage a painful warfare for years to banish

210 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

from their minds the impure imagery generated by
the perusal of books of this character. We have met
cases of disease in which painful maladies could be
traced directly to this source.

Impurity of Speeeh. — It is not to be supposed
that young ladies are by any means so remiss in this
particular as the majority of young men, and yet we
have had painful evidence of the fact that too often
even young ladies who are looked upon as in the
highest degree respectable allow themselves to indulge
in conversation of a character which they would not
like to have overheard by their mothers. We would
not say that every young woman who indulges in
loose conversations is guilty of vicious habits ; but it
is certain that a young woman who allows herself to
utter unchaste words and joins with others in conver-
sation upon impure subjects, if not already impure, is
in a way to become so should a strong temptation
present itself under favorable circumstances.

The habit which many girls have of talking famil-
iarly about the boys, is an exceedingly detrimental
one. It leads in the same direction as the habit in-
dulged in by many coarse and vulgar young men who
stand upon the street corners making lewd criticisms
upon every passing female. " Out of the abundance
of the heart the mouth speaketh," are the words of an
inspired writer, and it is fair to conclude that a young
woman who delights in conversation upon unchaste
subjects is poorly fortified against the temptation to
overt acts of unchastity.

Women of mature age as well as young girls are
often guilty of this same practice. In one form or

THE YOUNG LADY, 211

another this " ghost of vice " often haunts the sewing-
circle and the boudoir. Women who consider them-
selves immaculate often seem to enjoy nothing more
thoroughly than the retailing of scandal and gossiping
about the lapses from virtue of the sons and daughters
of their neighbors.

Lapses from virtue, in women as well as men, be-
gin with mental impurity. A young woman who
allows her imagination to run riot in lewdness is in a
fair way to become impure in deed as well as thought.
Man, even when most debased, loves to regard woman
as chaste and pure in mind as well as body, and a
woman cannot consider herself in the strictest sense
pure unless she reaches this high ideal. Even listen-
ing to impure conversation without participation in it
is demoralizing and destructive to purity, as the mind
accustomed to hear words of unchaste and impure
meaning unconsciously acquires some tolerance not
only of the language but of the actions which it signi-
fies. The society of women either young or old who
indulge in unchaste conversation, should be shunned
as one would avoid the vicinity of a rattlesnake or a
man sick with the plague. The moral disease engen-
dered by this contagion of vice is far more deadly
than any physical malady from which the body can
suffer, yet these inoculators of vice are often admitted
to the best circles of society, and the moral vaccina-
tion to which girls and young women who come un-
der their influence are subjected, is much more cer-
tain to "work" and to develop in some foul disease in
the victims than a vaccine inoculation for kine-pox.

212 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

The Immoral Dance. — Notwithstanding the apol-
ogies which have been made for dancing by clergy-
men in high positions, the impression is becoming
each year more and more fixed in the minds of
thoughtful people that dancing is in the highest degree
demoralizing in its tendency. This is especially true
of what is known as round dancing, and particularly
of the different varieties of the waltz. Recently,
Prof. Welch, a popular dancing-master of Philadel-
phia, after having been for many years engaged in
his profession and having the widest opportunities for
observation of the effects of the waltz, speaks out
against it in the following decided terms : —

" I have watched closely and thought deeply on
the subject, and now I have no hesitation in say-
ing that the waltz, under whatsoever name it may go
for the time being, is immoral. It is the only dance
that decent people protest against, and I am happy to
say that there still remain numbers of careful fathers
who will not allow their daughters to dance it, although
a vast proportion of the fashionable and a majority of
the middle and lower classes do not seem as yet
awakened to its iniquity. Ten or fifteen years ago
the waltz was not so objectionable as at present.
Dancers of to-day come in altogether too close con-
tact. In the old time a gentleman merely touched a
lady's waist, at the same time holding her right hand
in his left. Now he throws his arm clear around her
form, pulls her closely to him, as though fearful of
losing her, brings his face into actual contact with her
soft cheek, and, in a word, hugs her. Such action is
altogether too familiar, but still custom and society

THE YOUNG LADY. 213

sanction it, and instead of improvement for the better,
we see year after year a marked advance in the im-
proprieties of the dance. In the old days the waltz
was comparatively modest ; now it is just the reverse,
and the waltz is calculated to do more injury to the
young than many of the vices that are preached
against from the pulpit and deeply deplored in pri-
vate life.

" I have made it my practice for years to attend
parties in order to keep pace in my teachings with
the popular demand. I have no hesitation in saying
that I attribute much of the vice and immorality now
prevailing to the insidious influences of the waltz.
This may seem an overstraining of the point, but it
is my honest conviction. I tell you that in the higher
circles, young ladies at parties and balls are absolutely
hugged— embraced would be too weak to express my
meaning — by men who were altogether unknown to
them before the waltz began to inspire tho toes of the
dancers. Is this a pleasant sight to contemplate?

" Then in the lower classes, the license of the
dance is much more shocking. I have seen couples
so closely interlocked that the face of the man was
actually in contact with that of the palpitating girl
in his arms. I have seen kisses interchanged amid
the whirl of the maddening waltz."

The writer of the above raises no objection to

other dances than those characterized by what he

terms " hugging," but in our opinion there is no place

where the line can be drawn between harmless and

harmful dancing when both sexes participate in the

exercise. As a mode of exercise, we have no objec-
ts

■214 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

tion to dancing itself any more than to calisthenics
or parlor gymnastics ; but like card-playing, this form
of exercise has been rendered dangerous and per-
nicious by the demoralizing influences with which it
has been so long associated. We do not approve of
even parlor dances when the participants are members
of the same family. This may justly be compared to
tippling or moderate drinking, which is pretty certain,
sooner or later, to result in drunkenness. So parlor
dancing eventually leads to public balls and all the
ovil associations connected therewith.

Some little time ago, the Chief of Police in Ne\f
York City made the astounding statement that "three-
fourths of the abandoned girls in that city are ruined
by dancing." We might recount a large number of
•cases which have come to our knowledge in which in-
nocent girls and young women have begun the down-
ward course to shame and utter moral ruin in the
dancing-school. In our opinion, this form of amuse-
ment ought to be discountenanced* by respectable
Christian people everywhere. Not only is it harmful
on account of its immoral tendencies, but on account
of the physical injury which frequently results.
Thousands of young women in blooming health have
laid the seeds of consumption in a cold contracted by
going out of an over-heated ball-room in a light, fash-
ionable dress, reeking with perspiration from the ex-
haustive heat and the vigorous exercise, into the cold
air of a wintry night. Many cases of serious uterine
disease have come under our care which were directly
traceable to indulgence in midnight dancing with hips
-and waist burdened with heavy, trailing skirts, often

THE YVUNG LADY. 215

at a time when complete mental and physical rest
should have been taken.

It is true that dancing is a healthful exercise. We
do not object to it on the ground that when taken at
proper hours and not too greatly prolonged it may
not be harmless as a form of exercise ; but these con-
ditions are seldom secured, and dancing offers no
advantages whatever over calisthenics or parlor gym-
nastics, which are wholly free from the dangers and
evil consequences of the dance.

Diet. — As a rule, girls are more delicate in their
tastes than boys. Taking less vigorous out-of-door
exercise, their appetites are less keen and more fas-
tidious. They are more fond of pastry and knick-
knacks and care less for the substantial of diet. By
the indulgence of this morbid taste, a large share of
the young ladies of the day either actually become
dyspeptics or lay the foundation for this disease while
yet in their teens. We have no doubt that a
large share of tne nervousness which is so character-
istic of American women has its foundation in these
depraved appetites and the consequent impaired di-
gestion. Imperfect elaboration of food leaves the
blood deficient in nutritive elements and more or less
impaired in quality by the addition of the crude prod-
ucts of impaired digestion. The impoverished blood
is deficient in the elements which go to rebuild the
brain and nervous system, and this portion of the
body soon manifests its diseased condition by a weak
and disordered action which is termed nervousness.
Most of the neuralgia which is the bane of so many
women's lives is but the cry of tired, impoverished

216 THE LADIES' GUIDE,

nerves for more and better food. The same impover-
ished condition of the nervous system is undoubtedly
responsible for much of the hysteria as well as other
forms of nervousness with which the young women of
the present day, especially the daughters of fashion-
able parents, are afflicted.

The habit some young ladies have of drinking
vinegar in large quantities for the purpose, as they
say, of making their complexions white, is in the
highest degree detrimental to health. In fact, it is
through the injury to the digestive organs that the
supposed desirable results are obtained, the effect of
the vinegar being to impoverish the blood and so pro-
duce an unnatural paleness of the countenance.

Tea and Coffee. — Some time ago, a friend sent us
a clipping from a popular newspaper, consisting of an
extract from a lecture delivered at Sheffield, Eng., in
which a professor said, " The domestic, quiet life and
habits of the Chinese owe much of tijeir strength to
the constant use of this beverage (tea)." This asser-
tion, the gentleman sending the clipping made the
basis of an argument in favor of the general use of
tea; but who ever heard before that the Chinese
were particularly noted for placable, quiet tempers
and domestic habits ? About the first Chinaman we
ever saw threw his flat-iron through a window, break-
ing two sashes of glass, because some little boys in
the street were gazing in astonishment to see him
sprinkle clothes with his mouth. The testimony of
the eminent Dr. Bock, of Leipsic, is that " the snap-
pish, petulant humor of the Chinese can certainly be
ascribed to their immoderate fondness for tea."

THE YOUNG LADY. 217

Not long ago a lady patient said to us while un-
dergoing an examination, " Now, Doctor, do tell me
what makes me so cross ! I did not use to be ir-
ritable ; but for two or three years I have been get-
ting so cross and disagreeable that I do not see how
my friends can endure me. I scold and fret without
any cause whatever, and get out of patience with
every little thing. Do tell me what is the matter."
Having learned that the lady was in the habit of us-
ing strong tea, we attributed the irritability to that
cause. She gave up the use of tea in a short time,
and soon recovered her former equanimity of temper.

The use of strong tea and coffee by young ladies
undoubtedly has much to do with the depraved con-
dition in which the nervous system is found in at least
nine out of ten of the fashionable young ladies of the
present day. The use of these beverages not only
directly impairs the nervous system through the
narcotic principle which they contain, but creates a
demand for otWer stimulants and narcotics, as alcohol,
chloral, and morphine, which are frequently re-
sorted to.

The use of these articles is so very common and
their injurious effects so little appreciated, that we
feel justified in introducing here a somewhat extended
consideration of their character and influence on the
human body, hoping thereby to cause a few of those
who peruse these pages to take a resolute stand
against them.

A correspondent writes that one of his neighbors
daily drinks ic four cups of tea at breakfast, four at
dinner, and four or five at supper." lie raises the

218 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

question whether his neighbor is not as bad a man
from the stand-point of temperance as himself, who
uses tobacco. The query is certainly a pertinent
one, and there can be no question that the use of
tea in the quantities described is quite as bad as the
use of tobacco in the quantities in which it is usually
taken. It does not seem to be generally understood
that tea and coffee are poisons ; but the experiments
of a large number of scientists show most conclusively
that they both contain a substance known as caffeine
or theine which is capable of producing death in
lower animals and human beings. One observer
found that one-seventh of a grain killed a frog in a
very short time. Five grains killed a good sized cat
and also a rabbit. Death occurs in lower animals in
a manner almost the same as that in which death oc-
curs in poisoning from strychnia. Strong convulsions
are produced with the arrest of respiration, and in a
short time the heart ceases to beat. Tea contains
about three per cent of theine, or more than thirteen
grains to the ounce. Every pound of tea contains
enough of this poison to kill fifteen hundred frogs or
more than forty cats. One case is on record in which
a fine horse belonging to an English army officer was
killed by eating accidentally a small quantity of tea.
The largest dose of theine which is recorded as
being taken by a human being, is twelve grains,
which produced very dangerous symptoms, and with
the addition of a few grains more would undoubtedly
have proved fatal. Yet it is perfectly well known
that half an ounce of tea containing six and one-
half grains of the poison is often used in making a

THE YOUNG LADY. 21J>

strong cup of tea. Thirteen cups of strong tea would
contain a little more than eighty-four grains of th<v
poison theine, or an amount sufficient, in all probabil-
ity, to kill three or four men.

If tea contains such a poison, why does it not
produce fatal results more frequently than it does?
may be inquired. We answer, simply because a tol-
erance for the drug is established by use, just as in
the case of tobacco. One-tenth of a grain of nicotine
will kill a frog, and so small a dose as one-sixteenth
of a grain has produced dangerous symptoms in a
man ; it has also been shown that the smoke from a
half ounce of tobacco contains sufficient nicotine to
produce death, yet sudden death from tobacccnsmok-
ing is not a very common result of the almost uni-
versal use of this poisonous drug. The wakefulness
and increased mental activity which many persons ex-
perience from the use of tea are evidences of its poison-
ous character. The same thing is observed in cats
and other lower animals when tea is administered to
them in a little less than the fatal dose, or when a.
fatal dose has been given, and before the fatal effects
make their appearance. The poor creatures manifest
sometimes the wildest excitement.

These facts ought to be more widely known tharr
they are, and if duly appreciated must have some in-
fluence in lessening the use of a beverage which un-
der the guise of " the cup that cheers and not in-
ebriates" has captivated almost the entire English-
speaking world.

Late Suppers, lees, etc. — One of the most dam-
aging' of all dietetic digressions is the fashionable

220 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

custom introduced into this country from abroad of
taking supper at a late hour, some time between nine
and twelve p. m. The articles eaten at this late meal
are usually those of a highly indigestible character,
such as pastry, ices, wines, confectionery, etc. The
person who indulges in such midnight feasting on
such unhealthful viands is certain to suffer the penalty
of such transgression sooner or later in the pangs of
indigestion or the remorse of a remonstrating stomach.
A young lady whose digestive organs are, from her
habits of life, less vigorous than those of a man, can-
not with impunity indulge in such indiscretions Us
these. Her health will sooner or later become seri-
ously impaired, and she will thereby become utterly
unqualified fbr the performance of the arduous duties
which devolve upon a wife and mother.

Too Much Meat — The usual prescription which
a young lady suffering from nervousness, impover-
ished blood, and general debility, gets upon going to a
physician is, " Eat more meat ; live upon beef-steak,
mutton-chops, and roast beef." We consider such
advice not only unnecessary but mischievous. A
young lady who has ruined her digestion by late sup-
pers, the use of strong tea and coffee and condiments,
does not want more meat, but less knick-knacks. She
does not require more beef-steak, but more oat-meal
and less pastry. It is wholly unnecessary that she
should consume a large quantity of roast-beef or
mutton chop, but it is of the first importance that she
should take a liberal supply of well-cooked fruits and
grains and other simple articles of food. A young lady
who is nervous alreadv from overstimulation does not

THE YOUNG LADY. 221

want further excitation. Meat of all kinds, as every
physiologist and observing physician knows, is stimu-
lating, and should not be freely used by anyone whose
nervous system is already overexcited and irritable.

The Use of Opium, Liquor, Chloral, and other
Drugs. — On this subject we cannot do better than to
quote a few paragraphs from another work by the
author* in which the whole subject of stimulants
and narcotics is considered at greater length than
would be proper here.

. "Within the last few years the consumption of
this narcotic drug has been increasing in this country
to an alarming extent. Thirty years ago the amount
of opium imported was about 130,000 pounds annually.
To-day, according to the report of the chief of the
Bureau of Statistics, it is not less than 400,000
pounds. Of this amount not more than one-fifth is
used for medicinal purposes, leaving the enormous
amount of 320,000 pounds to be disposed of by habit-
ual users of the drug. The exact number of opium
consumers cannot be determined with any degree of
accuracy, as the devotees of the drug usually avoid
disclosing the habit as much and as long as possible.
Careful inquiries of druggists, and others likely to be
the best posted, have elicited facts upon which it is
perfectly safe to base the estimate that there are not
less . than 100,000, and very probably as many as
200,000, habitual opium-takers in the United States.

" The amount of opium consumed by an old opium-

* The. Home Hand-Book of Domestic Hygiene and Ra-
tional Medicine.

222 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

eater is sometimes enormous. We have had cases in
which twenty grains of morphia, equal to 320 grains
of opium, were taken as a single dose, with no more
effect than would follow the administration of one-
fourth of a grain to a person unaccustomed to its use.
One of the most recent cases which have come under
our care at the Medical and Surgical Sanitarium at
Battle Creek, Michigan, was that of a woman who had
been addicted to the drug for nine or ten years, and
had increased the quantity from less than a grain a
day to ninty-six grains in the twenty-four hours, ,
equivalent to more than three ounces of opium, to-
gether with a pint and a half of brandy.

" In addition to this enormous consumption of
opium by those addicted to its use, immense quanti-
ties are used in various quack nostrums and in so-
called ' antidotes.' Probably the most widely used
nostrum containing opium is Mrs. Winslow's Soothing
Syrup, of which no less than 750,000 bottles, contain-
ing about one grain of morphia each, have been sold
in a single year. This quantity is sufficient to de-
stroy the lives of many thousands of infants, who are
very susceptible to the influence of the drug, as no
doubt it has done.

"Probably the greatest of all causes of this enor-
mous increase in the habit within the last few years
is its reckless and uncalled-for use in medicine. It is
the custom of many physicians to prescribe opium in
some form for almost every ache or pain which they
encounter in practice. If they find a patient suffering
pain, whether from an acute attact of colic, a chronic
neuralgia, a face-ache from a decayed tooth, a back-

THE YOUNG LADY. 223

ache from some uterine disease, or a fractured limb,
an opiate is at once prescribed, and often before ascer-
taining what may be the patient's condition. We
have treated quite a number of persons suffering from
the opium habit, and have never met a case in which
we were not informed by the patient that the habit
began with a physician's prescription. This is the
general testimony of all who have examined this
question. We have had patients who have been
taught by their physician to take morphia by means
of the hypodermic method (injection beneath the
skin), whose bodies were so completely covered with
scars that it was scarcely possible to find a spot with-
in reach of the patient's own hands, and not uncov-
ered by the clothing, which had not been punctured
by the needle of the hypodermic syringe one or more
times. In one case, a patient was actually driven to
seek relief from the terrible habit by sheer inability
to find new places for puncturing the skin. The
most common method of taking the drug, however, is
by the mouth. The physician gives a prescription
which the patient has filled and refilled, until the
habit is firmly fixed. We have many times heard pa-
tients condemn in no stinted terms the physicians
who first introduced them to the fascinating drug,
apparently forgetting that they may have been them-
selves in a large measure to blame, since it is a most
common thing for patients to demand of physicians
medicines which will produce immediate palliative
effects, not once thinking that nature must effect the
cure, and that time will be required to remove the

224 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

cause of the disturbance so as to obtain relief in a
natural way.

"The continued use of opium is followed by effects
far more serious than those from the use of tea, coffee,
tobacco, or alcohol. It is an evil that every physi-
cian ought to do his utmost to expose, warn against,
and prevent. Probably physicians can do more than
any or all other persons combined to cure the habit,
by exercising care to avoid in every possible way and
under all possible circumstances the use of opium as
a medicine. There are numerous other measures of
relieving pain, and all available means should be tried
before resorting to this drug, so likely to make the
sufferer whom it temporarily relieves a greater suf-
ferer in the end.

" The government of Pekin has taken measures to
check the enormous consumption of opium in that
country by interdicting its use after the beginning of
the present year, under a most severe penalty. If
there is need of prohibitory legislation respecting any
form of intemperance, this certainly is the one of all
others requiring it, and the one for which there seems
to be the best chance for success.

" Of the fascinating powers of this drug and the
extreme difficulty of overcoming the habit, so much
has been written that we need say nothing. The
confessions of the opium eater, De Quincey, portray
in far more graphic lines than could we, the terrible
bondage of an opium slave. We should say a word,
however, with reference to its cure. The numerous
antidotes for the opium habit advertised in the news-
papers are the basest frauds imaginable. The exam-

THE YOUNG LADY. 225

ination of a large number of them by Dr. Prescott, of
the Medical Department of the University of Michi-
gan, a few years ago, showed them to be, without
exception, compounds of opium. In this case the
remedy is not worse than the disease, but identical
with it. The habit is not incurable, however, as
many suppose. With proper treatment all can be
cured, and in a comparatively brief space of time. In
the case mentioned, in which ninety-six grains of
opium were taken daily, the patient, although suffer-
ing with an acutely painful disease, was completely
cured in less than six weeks, though she had been
addicted to the use of the drug for many years, and
in addition was addicted to the use of liberal quanti-
ties of alcohol, a combination much more difficult of
cure than either habit alone. Other patients have
been cured in three or four weeks, or in shorter pe-
riods. The method of treatment is described else-
where."

The fact that by far the greatest number of opium-
users are women adds immense importance to the
above statements and figures in this connection. We
have become thoroughly convinced by wide observa-
tion that the use of this drug together with other
opiates is one of the most prolific causes of the pro-
verbial nervousness of American women, to say noth-
ing of more serious mental and nervous disorders
which grow out of the depraved condition established
by the habit.

There is also evidence for believing that although
women are much less addicted to the use of alcoholic
stimulants than are men, the alcohol habit is steadily

THE LADIES* GUIDE.

gaining ground among them, especially in what are
supposed to be the higher circles of society. The
jaded belle, worn out with the excesses of fashionable
dissipation, seeks a renewal of her wasted energies in
the deceptive influence of a " pick-me-up,v and soon
the habit is formed too strongly to be resisted.
Every large city contains numerous places where
women can obtain all kinds of liquor without letting
the public into the secret. Often these " bars " for
the special accommodation of women are ingeniously
hidden behind a milliner's sign, or placed in a side
room in connection with some fashionable dress-mak-
er's establishment.

But the use of liquor among women is by no
means in all cases so carefully secluded from the
notice of the public. When residing in New York
City, we as often met the sight of a drunken woman
upon the streets as that of drunken men. One of the
most distressing spectacles we .ever beheld was that
of a man dragging from a saloon his drunken and be-
sotted wife, who in her maudlin delirium was shout-
ing the most horrible oaths and language too vile for
utterance.

A few years ago the report of the Board of Char-
ities and Corrections for New York City contained
some most astounding facts which are of interest in
this cofinectionf. From this report it appeared that
during the previous three years there had been ar-
rested for drunkenness more females than males, and
of the female drunkards, twenty-nine had been re-
arrested one hundred or more times.

In looking for the causes of the appalling increase

THE YOUNG LADY. 227

in female intemperance, we have been led to ,believe
that one of the most important is the frequent recom-
mendation of alcoholic drinks or mixtures as remedies
by physicians. We know many physicians who
habitually prescribe ale, lager beer, wine, or some
alcoholic "bitters" for cases of nervous debility
among their female patients. In this way the habit
is soon established. The use of alcohol in some form
in connection with the opium habit is very common.

The common practice of physicians in recommend-
ing ale or stout for nursing mothers is also a great
cause of intemperance among women. But the moth-
ers are not the only victims. A large share of the
alcohol finds its way out of the system into the milk,
and in this way delicate babes are kept in a state of
semi-intoxication from birth until they are weaned.
A mother finds her child nervous and fretful. She
takes a glass of ale an hour or two before nursing the
infant, and is pleased to find that he becomes quiet.
She little dreams that his quietude is only the stupid
narcotism of alcohol poisoning ; yet such is the truth.
Every one knows that a dose of castor-oil given to a
nursing mother will affect the child as promptly as
the mother. The same is true of alcohol; but the
delicate organization of the infant is far more suscep-
tible to its poisonous influence than is the mother's
system. Dr. James Edmunds says that a large ma-
jority of English ladies use stout while nursing, so
that their infants " are never sober from the earliest
period of their existence until they have been weaned."

Beginning life under such a regimen, is it any
wonder that so large a number of young men, and

228 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

young women also, develop into drunkards ? Such a
result is only the fruit of the seeds sown in earliest
infancy. The ancient Romans were so well aware of
this fact that the use of alcoholic drinks was by law
prohibited to a Roman mother while an infant was
dependent upon her for support.

Although it is little more than a half-score of
years since the introduction of chloral as a remedy,
its use has become so general that cases of " chloral-
ism " are by no means uncommon. The chloral habit
threatens to become a rival of the opium habit, if it
has not already become quite as extensive in its prev-
alence. In fashionable circles it is no uncommon
thing for ladies to carry chloral bottles in their port-
manteaus or work-baskets. A distinct train of morbid
symptoms is induded by the use of this drug, and as
complete mental, physical, and moral demoralization
as result from the use of alcohol or opium.

Ladies read with horror of the absinthe takers of
France, the arsenic eaters of Styria, the amanitine
drinkers of Kamschatka, and the haschish devotees of
Oriental countries, while they themselves are daily
becoming the slaves of drugs in no degree less harm-
ful in their effects.

The habit of continual dosing with one drug or
another, practiced by thousands of ladies, cannot be
too strongly condemned. We have met hundreds of
cases in which the digestion had been wholly ruined
by this pernicious practice, and several serious mala-
dies established which were in large measure incurable.
Mothers often make their children invalids for life by
constant dosing with this or that remedy which has

THE YOUNG LADY. 229

been recommended by a friend or newly advertised in
the newspapers. The family medicine chest is a more
dangerous piece of furniture in a home than a loaded
shot gun or a keg of powder. The harm which has
come from the popular notion that something in the
line of medicine must be swallowed for every little
ache or pain, is incalculable. Young ladies, mothers,
and everybody else ought to know that drugs do not
cure disease. Nature cures, if a cure is accomplished,
and in the great majority of cases the regular or ir-
regular nostrums taken into the stomach impede re-
covery instead of aiding the cure. When a person
feels somewhat " out-of-sorts," the proper thing to do
is not to send for a doctor or swallow a few doses of
this man's " pills," or that man's " tonic," or some old
lady's mixture, but to carefully scrutinize the habits
and thereby ascertain the cause of the indisposition.
When this is discovered its removal will be speedily
followed by a disappearance of the morbid symptoms.
Strange as the assertion may seem to those who
are unacquainted with the excesses of modern fash-
ionable society, we have authority for the statement
that the use of cigarettes is becoming quite common
among the women of certain classes, and that the
practice is rapidly increasing. We have long con-
tended that women have as good a right to use to-
bacco in any form, as men, and considered most un-
just the arrest of a woman for smoking on the streets
of Chicago some years ago ; but we are by no means
disposed to condone the vice in women because it is
no worse for them than for men. We cannot believe
that the filthy habit of smoking, to which the women

230 TH& LADIES1 GUIDE.

of a half century ago were not infrequently addicted,
will be successfully revived even in the more esthetic
form of the cigarette. The baleful effects of the to-
bacco-habit, to say nothing of its filthy character, are
now too generally admitted to allow women, as a
class, to become enslaved to the weed, as are the
men and boys of the present day.

EXERCISE.

At the present time, little attention is paid to the
physical culture of women. In fact, the idea of
muscularity seems to be in some way connected with
coarseness, and the popular idea of female beauty
does not include a good physique, whatever else it
may demand. In ancient Greece the physical train-
ing of women was considered as important as that of
men. We read in the history of those ancient times
of the exploits of female gladiators, and women were
frequently found contending for prizes in the athletic
sports which were so popular at that age of the
world.

The physical inferiority of women is much more
marked in civilized than in uncivilized countries.
Among barbarous nations the difference between the
physical development of men and women is far less
than that observed among civilized people. This is
undoubtedly due to the fact that the mode of life
among barbarous nations is such that the females are
required to perform quite as much daily physical
labor as the males. Among some nations, in fact, a
great portion of the labor is done by the females.

THE YOUNG LADY. 231

The last remark is also true of some lands called civ-
ilized. For instance, travelers in Italy record that
it is not an uncommon sight to see a man going to
market with a cart loaded with vegetables drawn by
a team consisting of a donkey and his muscular wife
harnessed up together. One traveler reports having
seen a woman and a cow yoked together before a cart
in one of the countries of continental Europe. Wo-
men growing up under such conditions would not be
likely to be lacking in the matter of physical develop-
ment, although they might suffer for want of sym-
metrical development.

In England and America, however, but particu-
larly in this country, and especially in cities and •
towns, girls as a rule are found to be decidedly lack-
ing in physical development. Observe the students
of a female seminary as they pass along toward their
homes at the conclusion of their hour of study. No^
tice how few possess shapely bodies, a strong, elastic,
vigorous step, well developed waists, plump arms,
broad backs, and a full chest. How rare it is to see
a lady who has a good walk or a graceful carriage !
The majority of young ladies whom we meet upon
the streets have narrow backs, flat chests, round
shoulders drooping forward, thin necks, scrawny
arms, waspish waists, and an awkward gait. The
ruddy bloom of health is rarely seen now-a-days ex-
cept occasionally in some out-of-the-way country place.
Girls are not to be blamed for their want of symmetry
and numerous deficiencies in physical development if
they have no opportunities to develop strong and
comely forms. The fashion which requires them to

232 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

walk with their arms stiff, their elbows rigidly pin-
ioned against their sides, renders a graceful carriage
impossible and insures an imperfect development of
the arms and shoulders, which are accordingly lack-
ing in plumpness and unfitted for any occupation re-
quiring muscular strength.

Girls who grow up in this way are certain to suf-
fer seriously during their whole lives. The weak
muscles, lacking vigorous exercise, must naturally re-
sult in weak hearts, weak lungs, weak stomachs, and
weak nerves, and we might add, also, without depart-
ing from the truth, weak minds. It cannot be ex-
pected that such girls will produce anything else than
nervous, feeble mothers utterly unfit for the perform-
ance of the duties of life.

The want of proper muscular development is one
of the greatest causes of uterine disease in women.
As previously shown, the organs of the pelvis are
kept in position chiefly by the agency of muscles
which act upon the uterus and ovaries indirectly from
above and below. If these muscles are never devel-
oped so as to acquire proper tone and firmness, it is
inevitable that the organs which they should sustain
will ultimately become displaced. Before the period
of puberty, no danger could arise from this cause, but
after this period, the increased size and weight which
the pelvic organs acquire, renders them liable to be-
come displaced if their natural supports are not main-
tained in a vigorous condition. The general com-
plaint of back-ache which is almost universal among
women, would seldom be heard if they acquired

THE YOUNG LADY. 233

proper physical development during the period of
growth.

That there has been a very considerable decline
in the muscular development of women within the
last few years is evident to all who have made any
observation on the subject. Our grandmothers
thought nothing of walking five or ten or even
twenty miles a day ; but how many women can be
found at the present time who feel equal to the task ?
The physical training of women ought to begin in
early childhood. The school is the proper place for
a systematic course of training. In order to secure
the best results, the same course must be carried out
at home to a greater or less extent. Regular, syste-
matic, daily exercise should be taken, of such a charac-
ter as to develop those parts of the muscular system
which are weakest until they become proportionately
strong, and then varied in such a manner as to secure
equal development of the whole muscular system.
The good results which would accrue from such a
course of training as this, provided it could be made
general among the girls of the present generation, is
incalculable. One result would undoubtedly be the
production of a better race of men in the succeeding
generation. There is evidence to believe that a
mother possessed of a vigorous physical development
is more likely to give birth to children of large men-
tal capacity than those whose physical development
is below par. The Sandwich Islanders have a prov-
erb which is particularly significant in this connec-
tion : " If strong be the frame of the mother, her sons
will make laws for the people." Many of the great

234 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

men of this nation, if not most of them, have had re-
markable mothers, although the father was in many
cases not at all above the average.

Thousands of breakdowns in mothers during the
bearing or the rearing of their children would be
saved by previous physical development. We have
met many mothers who were suffering with local
disease which they attributed to the carrying of a
baby or to being upon their feet, or to some other
similar muscular taxation which would have been re-
garded as of no consequence if the muscles had been
previously prepared by proper training.

Women who have already attained to maturity
and find themselves suffering in consequence of inat-
tention to physical culture in their early years may
do much by pursuing a course of physical exercise of
such a character as will be likely to remove the phys-
ical disability. That much can be done even late in
life is very clearly shown by the results obtained by
Prof. Maclaren, in the training of students and others
during a period of from a few months to two or three
years. A case was recorded in which a man who
had attained maturity long before, had been actually
made to increase his dimensions in every particular.
In one case a man thirty years of age increased one-
half inch in height and proportionately in breadth of
chest and in the dimensions of other parts of the
body. In cases in which the development of the
body has been seriously neglected, special forms of
exercise are sometimes necessary to bring up the
weak parts to a degree of development proportionate
with the others. It is not necessary, however, that

THE YOUNG LADY. 235

extensive or other than very simple apparatus should
be employed for this purpose. Indeed, a small pair
of wooden dumb-bells and clubs, with such other ap-
pliances as can be obtained in any home, are amply
sufficient.

However useful and necessary may be calisthenics
and various other forms of exercise, the fact should
not be overlooked that useful labor and the perform-
ance of the various household duties, are among the
very best forms of exercise and the best possible
means of securing a good physical development. On
this subject Mrs. C. E. Beecher some years ago of-
fered the following very suggestive thoughts : —

" Our land is now full of motorpathic institutions,
to which women are sent at great expense to have
hired operators stretch and exercise their inactive
muscles. They lie for hours to have their feet
twigged, their arms flexed, and all the different mus-
cles of the body worked for them, because they are
so flaccid and torpid that the powers of life do not go
on. Would it not be quite as cheerful and a less ex-
pensive process, if young girls from early life devel-
oped the muscles in sweeping, dusting, starching,
ironing, and all the multiplied domestic processes
which our grandmothers knew of? The woman who
did all these, and diversified the intervals with spin-
ning on the great and little wheel, did not need the
gymnastics of Dio Lewis or the Swedish Movement
Cure, which are really a necessity now. Does it not
seem poor economy to pay servants for letting our
muscles grow feeble, and then to pay operators to ex-
ercise them for us ? I will venture to say that our

236 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

grandmothers went over in a week every movement
that any gymnast ever invented, and went over them
with some productive purpose, too."

The muscles, perhaps, more than any other organs
of the body, depend for their health upon regular,
systematic, adequate, and proper exercise. By exer-
cise, the muscular fibres are made to contract, and in
doing so, the old, stagnant, venous blood is squeezed
out, and new, fresh, invigorating, vitalizing blood
takes its place. By this means their vital activities
are quickened and their growth increased. There is
evidence for believing that muscular fibres do not
increase in number in the voluntary muscles ; but it
is certain that they increase very materially in size
and in firmness, and hence in strength. The strength
of a muscle depends upon the individual strength of
each of its fibres, as its strength is but the combined
strength of its component parts. If each fibre be-
comes large, firm, and strong in consequence of use,
the whole muscle becomes so; and that this is the
case we have abundant evidence in the ponderous
right arm of the blacksmith, which outgrows the
other in consequence of constant exercise in swing-
ing a heavy hammer. The lower extremities of a
ballet dancer become developed in a proportionately
large degree, from the trying exercise to which they
are accustomed.

Nature never attempts to maintain a useless or-
gan, and almost as soon as an organ is not used she
sets to work to demolish it ; or at any rate she wastes
no time in endeavoring to keep it in repair when it is
not needed, or at least is not used. This is true all

THE YOUNG LADY. 237

through the vital economy, and is nowhere more clearly
seen than in the muscular system. A disused mus-
cle soon becomes thin, pale, relaxed, weak ; and after
a time a change begins which is termed fatty degen-
eration. Nature does not think it worth while to
keep so much valuable nitrogenous matter lying idle,
and so she sets to work taking the muscle to pieces
and carrying it away little by little for use elsewhere,
depositing in place of the muscle substance little par-
ticles of fat until the whole muscle is changed to fat.
This change usually occurs in cases of paralysis ; and
when it has been completed, restoration of the func-
tion of the muscle is impossible.

How to Take Exercise. — It is not sufficient to
simply take exercise indiscriminately and without
reference to the object for which it is taken, the man-
ner, time, etc. It must be taken regularly, systemat-
ically, at proper times, and in proper amount. Per-
haps we cannot do better in treating this subject prac-
tically than to ask and answer some of the most im-
portant questions relating to exercise.

1. When is the best time to exercise? There is a
popular theory extant that exercise taken early in the
morning has some specific virtue superior to that
taken at any other time. After careful observation
on the subject we have become convinced that this
popular notion is a mistake when adopted as a rule
for everybody. For many engaged in professional
duties, especially editors, authors, teachers, and
others whose vocations keep them mostly in-doors,
the morning may be the only time when exercise can
be taken conveniently ; and if not taken at this time

238 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

it is likely to be neglected altogether. Such persons,
unless they are laboring under some special derange-
ment of health, as dyspepsia or some other constitu-
tional malady, would better by far take the morning
walk or other form of exercise than to take none at
all. However, we are pretty well convinced that for
most persons the middle of the forenoon is a much
better time to take any kind of active or vigorous ex-
ercise. In the morning, the circulation is generally
weakest and the supply of nerve force is the least abun-
dant. In the forenoon, when the breakfast has been
eaten and digestion has become well advanced, the
system is at its maximum of vigor ; hence if the in-
dividual is at liberty to choose his time for exercise,
this should be his choice.

For poor sleepers, a half-hour's exercise taken in
the evening not long before retiring will often act like
a soporific, and without any of the unpleasant after-
effects of drugs.

Vigorous exercise should never be taken imme-
diately nor within an hour after a meal, and should
not be taken just before eating. Disregard of this
rule is a very common cause of dyspepsia.

2. What kind of exercise shall be taken ? The an-
swer to this question must, of course, vary with the
individual. Exercise must be modified to suit the
strength, the age, and even the tastes of the individ-
ual. As a general rule, persons who take exercise for
health are apt to overdo the matter, the result of
Vhich is damage rather than benefit. For most per-
sons there is no more admirable and advantageous
form of exercise than walking ; but many find walk-

THE YOUNG LADY. 239

ing simply for exercise too tedious to persevere in it
regularly. Such will find advantage in walking in
companies, provided care is taken to avoid all such
questionable diversions as walking matches or any
kind of exercise in which there will be a strife which
will be likely to excite to excess.

Horseback riding, for those who ride well and en-
joy this form of exercise, may be of great benefit. It
is not so well suited for ladies as for men, however, on
account of the awkward and unnatural manner in
which fashion compels them to ride. It is impossible
for a lady to ride with the same degree of comfort,
ease, and grace that her male companion may, on ac-
count of the one-sided way in which she sits in the
saddle. In many countries ladies ride in the same
fashion as men ; with them, of course, this objection
does not hold.

Horseback riding is an excellent aid to digestion,
and often effectually relieves habitual constipation of
the bowels.

Carriage riding is worth very little as a form of ex-
ercise except for feeble invalids, for whom the gentle
swaying of the vehicle and the excitement of viewing
objects seldom seen may be sufficient and appropriate
exercise. Riding in a lumber wagon over a corduroy
road is about the only kind of carriage riding which
is worth speaking of as exercise for people in ordi-
nary health.

Skating, rowing, dancing, and most other exer-
cises of the sort, are more often harmful than other-
wise, because carried to excess and associated with
other evils of a pernicious character. Calisthenics,

240 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

for school-children and young students, is a most ad-
mirable form of exercise. It is also well adapted to
invalids who are unable to walk more than a short
distance at a time. Full directions for the use of
calisthenics, or gymnastic exercises, are given in a
chapter devoted to the subject. In our opinion,
every family ought to be fitted out with all the con-
veniences for parlor gymnastics. They afford not
only healthful exercise but a large amount of excel-
lent amusement for the little folks.

The health-lift is a form of exercise too important
to be overlooked. We have carefully tested this
form of exercise, and believe it to be an exceedingly
valuable measure for those whose employments are
sedentary and whose time for exercise is limited.
However, we can indorse but a small portion of what
has been claimed for it by persons who have made its
use and sale a specialty. Again, we have no sympa-
thy with the course which has been taken by most
manufacturers in charging an enormous price for a
piece of apparatus which really costs but very little
and could well be afforded for one-half the money
charged. The chief benefits of the health-lift may be
derived from a very simple form of apparatus which
can be constructed at slight expense by means of two
stout rubber bands attached to the floor or a platform,
and furnished with handles.

For many persons, as before remarked, no form of
exercise is more beneficial healthwise than some kind
of physical labor. For ladies, general housework is
admirably adapted to bring into play all the different
muscles of the body, while affording such a variety of

THE YOUNG LADY. 241

different exercises and such frequent change that no
part need be very greatly fatigued. There are thou-
sands of young ladies pining under the care of their
family physician in spite of all he can do by the most
learned and complicated prescriptions, for whom a
change of air or a year's residence in some foreign
clime, or some similar expensive project, is proposed,
when all in the world that is needed to make the deli-
cate creatures well is to require them to change places
with their mothers for a few weeks or months. Let
them cease thrumming the piano or guitar for a time,
and learn to cook, bake, wash, mend, scrub, sweep,
and perform the thousand and one little household du-
ties that have made their mothers and grandmothers
well and robust before them. We made such a pre-
scription once for a young lady who had been given
up to die of consumption by a gray-headed doctor, and
whose friends were sadly watching her decline, and
in six weeks the young mi§s was well and has been
so ever since ; but we entailed her everlasting dislike,
and have no doubt that any physician or other person
who should adopt the same course in a similar case
would be similarly rewarded.

There is no gymnasium in the world which is bet-
ter to secure excellent results from exercise than the
kitchen, the wash-room, and the garden. These are
nature's gymnasia. They require no outlay for spe-
cial appliances, and are always fitted up for use.

In ancient Greece, in the palmy days of that em-
pire, physical training was considered as much a part
of the necessary education of young men and women,
as their mental culture. Every inducement was of-

242 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

fered to them to make themselves strong, vigorous,
and athletic. Their schools were called gymnasia, on
account of the attention given to gymnastics. Small
waists and delicate forms, white, soft, helpless hands
and tiny feet were not prized among the pioneers of
civilization. The mothers of heroes and philosophers
were not pampered and petted and spoiled by indul-
gence. They were inured to toil, to severe exercise.
Their bodies were developed so as to fit them for the
duties of maternity and give them constitutions to be-
queath to their children which would insure hardi-
hood, courage, and stamina in the conflict with the
world to obtain a subsistence, and with human foemen
in the rage of battle. The women developed by this
system of culture were immortalized in marble, and
the beauty of their forms has been the envy of the
world from that day to this ; yet no one seems to
think of attempting to gain the same beauty in the
same way. It might be done : there is no reason
why it cannot be ; but the only way is the one which the
Grecian women adopted, — physical culture.

Mens sana in corpore sano was the motto of the an-
cient Greeks ; and the experience of every day shows
that the person with strong muscles and good diges-
tion, with fair intellectual abilities, is the one who
wins the goals in the strifes for wealth and fame
and all that men seek after, and the same is also
true of women. " A sound mind in a sound body *
is as necessary for assured success in life in the nine-
teenth century as when the sentiment was first in-
scribed upon the gates of the temples in ancient
Greece.

Fig. t.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 3.

Fig. 4.

Fig. S.

PLATE F.

THE YOUNG LADY. 243

Necessity for Unrestrained Action.— A muscle
tied up is rendered as helpless as though it were para-
lyzed. When a muscle acts, it does so by swelling
out in thickness, while contracting in length. From
this it will be evident that if a tight band is put
around a muscle in such a manner as to prevent its
expansion or increase in thickness, it cannot possibly
act. Hence, a fundamental requisite of healthful
muscular action is entire freedom from restraint.
Unrestrained action is indispensable to complete ac-
tion and perfect development. When a broken arm
is done up in a splint for a few weeks, upon removing
the bandage it is usually found that the arm has
shrunken in size ; the muscles have wasted, partly in
consequence of pressure, and partly on account of the
enforced inaction of the muscles. The very same
thing happens wherever pressure is brought to bear
upon the muscular tissues. A ring worn upon a fin-
ger causes atrophy, or wasting of the tissues beneath
it. By placing an elastic band around soft tissues
they may be absorbed altogether, in consequence of
the pressure. This action has been taken advantage
of for the removal of tumors in certain parts of the
body.

Physical Training of Young Women. — The
tendency to physical decline in young women has
become so marked that we believe it to be the duty
of every mother to give careful attention to the phys-
ical training of her daughters. Mothers ought to
watch with care the development of young girls, and
correct at once any manifest defect, such as drooping

244 THE LADIES' GUIDE,

shoulders, flatness of the chest, curvatures of the
spine, etc.

Among the most common causes of round shoul-
ders in girls are bad positions occupied in sitting,
standing, and lying during the hours of sleep. On
Plate F we have introduced a few figures which show
incorrect attitudes contrasted with correct and health-
ful ones. Among the best means of overcoming these
deformities are the various calisthenic exercises, a few
of which are shown on Plate XI. The dumb-bell and
club exercises are particularly useful. Both these
appliances should be of wood and very light, weigh-
ing not more than one or two pounds each.

The same exercises also strengthen the muscles of
the back and thus act as a preventive of spinal curva-*
tures and weak backs ; and if persevered in and prop-
erly adapted to the conditions of the individual case,
are exceedingly useful means of curing curvatures due
to muscular weakness or unsymmetrical muscular de-
velopment. In addition to these exercises, special
forms of exercise, such as carrying a heavy book upon
the head, hanging by the hands, and suspension by
the head and shoulders with a suitable apparatus are
useful and essential in extreme cases. It should be
borne in mind that in cases of spinal curvature the
higher shoulder is the weaker one, and the curvature
of the spine toward that side of the body result-
ing in the elevation of the shoulder above that of the
opposite side, is due to the preponderance in strength
of the muscles of the latter. To correct the deformity
by exercise, the weak side must be developed up to

PLATE XL Lit HIT G YMXAST1CS

THE YOUNG LADY. 245

equality with the other by giving it the greater
amount of exercise.

A home-made gymnasium in which a variety
of healthful exercises can be taken may be eas-
ily constructed in a garret or even in the sleep-
ing-room, where it will be convenient' for use-
Two ropes suspended from a beam in the ceiling and
furnished with a ring at the free end of each, a pair
of rubber tubes each about two feet long furnished
with*hooks at both ends and rings which can be at-
tached and detached at pleasure, and the -wooden:
dumb-bells and clubs before mentioned, furnish all the
apparatus necessary for a great variety of healthful
exercises. Light gymnastics ought to be taught and
practiced in every school, and particularly in young
ladies' seminaries and boarding schools.

A half-hour's daily practice in a home gymnasium
will develop the chest and waist to a wonderful de-
gree in the course of a few months. In the treat-
ment of numerous cases of disease of various sorts in
girls and young women we have found physical train-
ing a most valuable accessory, and in many instances
have regarded it as the chief factor in securing th&
rapid and complete recovery which we have usually
been able to obtain in this class of cases.

Women do not naturally possess so largely devel-
oped a muscular system as men, and microscopical
examination shows the muscular fibres to be smaller
in size. Nevertheless, the smaller size and conse-
quent closer connection with the blood supply give to
them an increased power of endurance which compen-
sates for the lack of ability for so great a spasmodic

THE YOUNG LADY. 245

equality with the other by giving it the greater
amount of exercise.

A home-made gymnasium in which a variety
of healthful exercises can be taken may be eas-
ily constructed in a garret or even in the sleep-
ing-room, where it will be convenient' for use-
Two ropes suspended from a beam in the ceiling and
jTurnished with a ring at the free end of each, a pair
of rubber tubes each about two feet long furnished
withiiooks at both ends and rings which can be at-
tached and detached at pleasure, and the -wooden
dumb-bells and clubs before mentioned, furnish all the
apparatus necessary for a great variety of healthful
exercises. Light gymnastics ought to be taught and
practiced in every school, and particularly in young
ladies' seminaries and boarding schools.

240 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

For many persons, as before remarked, no form of
rxriidse is more beneficial health wise than some kind
nf physical labor. For ladies, general housework is
;iilaiirably adapted to bring into play all the different
in uncles of the body, while affording such a variety of

THE YOUNG LADY. 241

242 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

fig. t

fig. 2,

fig, 3.

% *

PLATE F.

250 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

tion. Plate X also shows the same points very
clearly by contrasting the form of a modern belle
dressed in Parisian fashion, with the splendid form
of the Venus of Milo. It will be observed by
careful inspection of these figures that the thorax
when in a natural condition is cone-shaped, the base
of the cone being below, while in the thorax of a per-
son whose waist has been compressed and distorted
by the ruthless hand of fashion by means of the cor-
set, tight belts, and waistbands, the reverse is the
case. Let every woman consider carefully the injury
which results from this artificial and totally unnatural
constriction of the waist.

The object of the arrangement referred to is to
give ample room for the action of the delicate vital
organs which are carefully lodged within this bony
cage for protection. Chief among these are the lungs,
the heart, the liver, the diaphragm, and the stomach.
In the healthy performance of their functions, these
organs require a considerable degree of motion. With
every act of respiration, the lungs alternately expand
and contract; the diaphragm moves up and down; the
stomach and liver have the same motion. Every beat
of the pulse is accompanied by a change in the posi-
tion of the heart. The size of the stomach necessa-
rily varies greatly, being full after a meal, and nearly
empty at other times.

The Corset a Cause of Consumption. — How
does compression affect these various organs and their
functions ? The corset, with its inflexible stays and
hour-glass shape, grasps the expanding lungs in
their lower part like an iron vise and prevents their

PLATE X.

THE YOUNG LADY. 251

proper filling with air. The lungs are thus crowded
up into the upper part of the chest and are pressed
against the projecting edges of the first ribs, upon
which they move to and fro with the act of breathing.
The friction thus produced occasions a constant irrita-
tion of the upper portion of the lung, which induces a
deposit of tuberculous matter, and the individual be-
comes a prey to that dread disease, consumption — a
sacrifice to a practice as absurd as pernicious.

The lower part of the chest being narrowed, thus
preventing proper expansion of the lungs, the amount
of air inhaled is insufficient to properly purify the
blood by removing from it the poisonous carbonic
acid which gives to impure blood its dark color, and
is so fatal to the life of all animals. In consequence
of this defective purification of the blood, the whole
body suffers. None of the tissues are properly kept
in repair. They are all poisoned Particles of gross,
carbonaceous matter are deposited in the skin, causing
it to lose its healthy color and acquire a dead, leath-
ery appearance and a dusky hue. The delicate nerve
tissues are poisoned, and the individual is tormented
with " nerves," sleeplessness, and fits of melancholy.

We wish also to call attention to the important
fact that continuous pressure upon these parts may
cause such a degree of degeneration of the muscles or
the chest as to seriously impair the breathing capac-
ity. Unused muscles waste away, as already ob-
served ; and when pressure is applied in addition, the
wasting and degenerating become still more marked.
This is exactly what happens with those who wear
their clothing tight about the waist. This is the

252 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

reason why ladies who have been accustomed to wear
corsets declare so emphatically that they " could not
live without them," that, they feel when their corset
is off as though they " should fall down into a heap."

While the ribs suffer the least of any of the or-
gans of the chest from the absurd custom which fash-
ion has imposed upon the gentler sex, tight-lacing the
waist and encasing the body in a vise of stays of bone
or steel, is of positive and often incurable injury to
this part of the vital economy.

The bony ribs do not join the sternum or breast-
tone directly, but indirectly through the medium of
flexible cartilages, an arrangement which gives to the
thorax the power to expand and thus enable the lungs
the better to perform their important functions.
Careful study has shown that this flexibility of the
costal cartilages is due to their constant exercise.
Day and night, sleeping or waking, twenty times a
minute, these flexible parts are bent and allowed to
return again to their natural position. This constant
bending and unbending allows them no opportunity
to become stiff and unyielding like the bones. But
when the chest is imprisoned in a corset, this con-
stant movement becomes impossible ; and the conse-
quence is that a process of stiffening is set up, and
after a time the once flexible, yielding cartilages be-
come a,s rigid as the rest of the ribs. The inevitable
result of this change is a permanent limitation of the
movements of the lungs. It becomes impossible for
them to expand except to a limited degree upward
and downward. Lateral expansion is as impossible
when the corset is laid aside as when it is in place.

THE YOUNG LADY. 253

The deformity, which was at first temporary, has be-
come permanent. There are thousands of delicate
ladies all over the land whose costal cartilages have
been thus changed through their own willful abuse of
their bodies, and who will undoubtedly go down into
premature graves in consequence, in spite of all that
the most skillful physicians can do for them.

The action of the lungs ought to be wholly unre-
strained, allowing the pure air with its life-giving oxy-
gen to penetrate to the smallest extremity of every
air-tube, and fill to its utmost capacity every delicate
cell. The chest ought to be capable of expansion
from two to five inches, — even greater expansion is
attainable. But if you put a tape-line around one of
these corset-stiffened chests you will be unable to ob-
tain more than a scant quarter-inch of difference in
measurement between the chest when empty and
when filled to its utmost capacity. We have often
tried the experiment when making physical exami-
nations of the chest, and though the patient is almost
always anxious to do her best, in order to demon-
strate if possible what every lady will eagerly con-
tend for, that her corset never did her any harm
because it was worn so loose, and so draws up her
shoulders to her utmost and makes a desperate at-
tempt to swallow more air than there is room for, we
have often found that the expansion of the sides of
the chest was 60 slight as to be imperceptible. If
tight-lacing did no other harm than this, we should
certainly wish to condemn it in the strongest terms
we could find language to express; and we cannot
help feeling sometimes that it is a great misappropria-

254 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

tion of money to support an army of missionaries
among the inappreciative and degenerated inhabitants
of African jungles and other heathen countries, who
value human life so little that they feed their super-
fluous little ones to the crocodiles, and sacrifice a
score of women to commemorate the death of a king,
while there are so many thousands, perhaps millions
in civilized lands who are sacrificing lives which
might be a hundred-fold more useful, in ways equally
absurd and senseless. The homage paid by millions
of ladies to the latest style of corset is a grosser form
of idolatry than the fetich worship of the natives of
African jungles.

Heart Disease Caused by Tight - Lacing. —
Another sufferer is the heart. The dark, impure
venous blood goes rushing from the heart to the lungs
for purification. The lungs are so compressed that
only a portion of the blood can get through. The
remainder is crowded back into the heart, causing en-
largement of that organ, and heart disease. The in-
dividual then suffers from flutterings and palpitations
of the organ, and a constant fear lest sudden death
may cut short her career.

But this damming-back process extends far beyond
the heart. The venous blood, being crowded into the
heart, finds its way back into the veins, and thus to
the head, causing congestion of that organ, with all
its dullness, pain, nervousness, loss of memory, and
mental inefficiency.

The diaphragm, one of the most important muscles
of inspiration, is crowded up into the chest by the up-
ward pressure of the abdominal organs, which are

THE YOUNG LADY. 255

squeezed out of place by the vise which grasps them.
This makes breathing still more inefficient, and the
expansion of the cavity of the chest less complete,
adding greatly to the evils already mentioned.

Corsets and Dyspepsia. — The stomach is located
just beneath the point where the pressure of the corset
is greatest. It must either suffer from constant, un-
yielding compression, or else it must be displaced
either upward or downward. In the first case, it en-
croaches upon the lungs, and in the second, it presses
upon delicate organs below, so that the result is
equally bad in either case. This constant compres-
sion and displacement disturbs the function of the
organ, and thus produces dyspepsia with all its dire
consequences. Experiments upon animals show that
pressure upon the stomach will produce death quicker
than almost any other means. A sharp blow upon
the stomach will often produce instant death. Dis-
placement and distortion of the stomach are also in-
duced, as may be seen by reference to Fig.C, Plate X.

Tight-Laced Fissure of the Liver. — We once
found in Bellevue Hospital, New York City, a woman
who was suffering under a complication of maladies
which evidently had their origin in the foolish practice
of tight-lacing to which she had been addicted. On
making an examination of the internal organs, we
were amazed to find the liver presenting itself just
above the hip bone, its normal position being entirely
above the lower border of the ribs. Further exami-
nation revealed the fact that in about the middle of the
organ there was a constriction, or fissure, nearly di-
viding it in two, which had been produced by habitual

256 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

lacing. The function of the organ had been so greatly
interfered with that it had failed to remove the biliary
elements from the blood, and they had been largely
deposited in the skin, making the latter anything but
beautiful, although the woman was not advanced in
years, and was naturally fair. Thousands of young
ladies have cut their livers nearly in two in the same
way. No wonder that they require rouge and French
chalk to hide their tawny skins. Figs. D and E, Plate
X, represent very accurately the deformities of the
liver produced by this foolish and inexcusable practice.
A physician of eminence, upon making a post-
mortem examination* of a woman who had worn heavy
skirts suspended from her waist for many years, be-
ginning the practice in early childhood, found the liver
dragged down into the pelvis and entirely cut in two,
the separate portions being only held together by a
fibrous cord.

Numerous Other Evil Results. — The waist is
naturally larger than the upper part of the chest. Its
size is due to the contents of the abdominal cavity.
If it is pinched and squeezed into one-half its natural
size at one point, some other portion must be enlarged
in order to give room for the internal viscera of the
abdomen. This enlargement naturally occurs below
the waist, giving that portion of the body an unnatu-
ral, ungraceful, and distorted appearance. Indeed,
the practice distorts the whole body, giving it an
hour-glass shape when there should be a graceful
taper from the armpits to the hips. The noble
matrons of Greece and Rome, in the sunny days of
those empires, never possessed such misshapen forms

THE YOUNG LADY. . 257

as modem fashionable belles contrive to torture their
bodies into.

Tight-lacing and the corset are the most fruitful
sources of a majority of the ills from which women
especially suffer. The great increase of pressure
brought upon the delicate organs which occupy the
female pelvis, occasions displacement of those organs
and all the resultant miseries.

More than one case is on record of young ladies
who have applied the belt or corset so tightly that a
blood-vessel has been ruptured and almost instant
death has ensued.

If we should consider the remote effects of lacing
the waist, we would find that nearly every internal
malady may be either induced or greatly aggravated
in virulence by this pernicious practice.

The Corset Not a Necessity. — " But I cannot
live without a corset," said a lady when we expostu-
lated with her for her persistence in wearing the ob-
jectionable article, " I need its support ; I should fall
down all in a heap without it. I feel so weak and
helpless without something to brace me up." It is
possible that such individuals do really feel better
when encased in a framework of whalebone, steel,
and cords, than when depending only on their natural
resources for support. They have so long confined
their yielding muscles in a rigid, unyielding case, that
they have lost their strength and elasticity. Let a
strong man strap his arm to a board and wear it con-
stantly for a year. He will find it almost useless.
Its muscles will be thin, flaccid, and powerless. The
corset has the same effect upon the muscles of the

258 THE LADIES' GUIDE,

chest which are by nature designed to support the
trunk. Will the muscles of the mans arm become
strong by continuing to wear the board? Never;
the only way to recover its strength is to throw away
the board and use the weakened member. So with
the corset. It is the cause of the condition which it
is thought makes it a necessity. So long as it is
worn, the muscles of the chest will be weak and lax.
Throw it away, and begin to exercise the wasted
muscles and they will speedily recover themselves.
The mothers of Grecia's noble sons never wore cor-
sets. They were equally unknown to Roman moth-
ers. If the article was unnecessary for them, why
is it so needful for modern women ? If support for
the bust is required, it can be obtained by better
means than the corset. A short experience without
it always results in its dismissal forever, when a fair
trial is made.

Although the corset is the chief offender in con-
straining the healthy activity of the vital organs of
the body, there are other articles and modes of dress
which deserve attention on account of their interfer-
ence with some of the bodily functions. When the
leaders of fashion decreed that the previously indis-
pensable crinoline must be discarded, the sensible
part of the world rejoiced, thinking that Dame Fash-
ion was really about to reform her ways. But such
hopes were dashed to the ground when the present
fashionable style of dress appeared. Formerly, fash-
ionable ladies sailed along the streets like animated
balloons, monopolizing the whole walk with their wide-
spreading skirts. A few years ago the opposite ex-

THE YOUNG LADY. 259

treme was reached and fashionable ladies were to be
seen wriggling along the street like competitors in a
sack-race. Indeed, it seemed a marvel that locomo-
tion was a possibility, so greatly hampered were the
limbs by numerous heavy skirts drawn tightly back
and fastened at the sides. Anything like graceful
ease in walking was impossible. A Chinese wriggle
was the result of the best attempt.

The motions of the arms are curtailed to an almost
equal extent by the fashion of the garments about
the shoulders. They are so made that it is next to
impossible for the wearer to raise the hand an inch
above the head. The arms are actually pinioned.
Why not have the shoulders of ladies' garments made
like those of men, which allow perfect freedom of mo-
tion to the arms? The more recent fashions are
adopting this style, and we trust that the old style of
cutting ladies' sacques and dresses will soon wholly
disappear.

The elastic bands worn about the leg to keep the
stocking in place, and sometimes used upon the arms to
hold the sleeves up, are more harmful than is usually
imagined. The long stockings worn by females bring
the elastic just above the knee, where the large blood-
vessels of the limb come near the surface and are in
position to be compressed against the thigh bone in
such a way as to impede the circulation. It is not
to be wondered at that under these circumstances, in
addition to the evil of thin stockings, and thin, tight
shoes, there should seem to be a necessity for arti-
ficial calves, which we are informed on creditable au-
thority have actually been employed.

260 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

Whether garters are elastic or inelastic, the effect
is essentially the same. They interfere with the cir-
culation of the blood in the lower limbs, and often
produce varicose veins. Cold feet and headache are
the ordinary results of their use. School girls suffer
greatly from their injurious effects.

Fashionable Suicides. — If the number of deaths
annually resulting from improper dress were accurate-
ly recorded, the aggregate would be absolutely appall-
ing. A large percentage of these would be found to
be due to inattention to the maintenance of a uniform
temperature of the body. Fashionable attire sepa-
rates the body into zones. The upper part of the
chest and the feet and ankles are the frigid zones,
while the lower part of the abdomen is the torrid
zone. The feet and limbs are so far away from the
centers of life and heat that they naturally require
more clothing to maintain in them a temperature
equal to that in other parts. The warm blood cur-
rent loses much of its warmth in passing the whole
length of the limbs, and so reaches the extremities
only after being chilled. Instead of supplying the
required extra clothing to these parts, fashion totally
ignores the wants of nature and gives the limbs even
less protection than other parts which need it less.
The upper part of the chest is often exposed even to
the eye. At best, it is usually covered only by a
few thin layers.

Garments from the upper part of the body over-
lap those from the lower portion, below the waist,
thus doubling the amount of clothing over the most
vital parts — those least liable to suffer from cold. In

THE YOUNG LADY. 261

this way the natural heat of the parts is greatly in-
creased, and much suffering is the result. Local con-
gestions and inflammations find their exciting cause
in this mode of clothing the body.

In addition to the many thicknesses occasioned
by the overlapping of garments and bands, fashion
adds a huge deformity behind in the form of a bus-
tle, which is located just over the nerve centers
which preside over the reproductive functions, and by
the excess of heat thus engendered often occasions
very great injury, which cannot always be remedied,
even by years of medical treatment.

. While the central portion of the body is thus
burning with excessive heat, being covered with
from seven to fourteen thicknesses, the limbs are al-
lowed to go almost nude. One thin, muslin garment
meeting an equally thin stocking below, supplemented
upon the foot by a thin shoe, is often thought to be
amply sufficient clothing for the limbs and feet, even
when the mercury stands in the thermometer near
zero. The arms are frequently little better clad,
the sleeves of undergarments extending but a little
below the shoulder.

Loose skirts are wholly inadequate to secure
proper warmth to the limbs, even though they be
multiplied, for the simple motion of the limbs in walk-
ing creates currents of air about them beneath the
warmest skirts. The wind also dashes cold air upon
them from below, sometimes even making skirts a
disadvantage, rather than a protection.

To add still more to the unbalance of the tem-
perature occasioned by improper clothing, heavy furs

262 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

are worn upon the chest and shoulders, where less
artificial covering is really needed than at other
parts.

If under so unequal a distribution of the heat of
the body a woman escapes a score of s^ch maladies as
congestion of the brain, headache, neuralgia, torpid
liver, dyspepsia, and consumption, besides the nu-
merous ills peculiar to the sex, it is either because she
is uncommonly " tough," or on account of a special
interposition of Providence. But we do not believe
that Providence ever works miracles to enable people
to disregard his laws. The usual result is a chronic
inflammation of all the internal organs of the pelvis
and lower portion of the abdomen.

What Drags the Life out of a Woman ? —
Those heavy skirts, varying in number from three to
seven or more, all suspended from the waist, and
pulling down upon the hips, are enough to drag the
life out of a Hercules, A strong man would not
endure for a single day one-tenth of the discomfort
which a fashionable woman suffers every day of her
life. It is useless for woman to think of rising above
her present level while she is chained down by the
burdens imposed by heavy, trailing skirts.

The unnecessary and injurious weight occasioned
by superfluous length and number of skirts is greatly
increased by the addition upon the outer garment of
an indefinite number of flounces, folds, heavy over-
skirts, and various other useless accessories.

But the evils and inconveniences above referred
to are not the worst which result from the wearing of
so great a weight of clothing as is customary among

THE YOUNG LADY. ' 263

fashionable people. The most serious consequences
are those which are suffered by the delicate organs of
the pelvis. The many heavy skirts and under-gar-
ments which are hung about the waist with no sup-
port from above, drag down the internal organs of the
abdomen and cause them to press heavily upon the
contents of the pelvis. After a time the slender
ligaments which hold those organs in place give way,
and various kinds of displacements and other derange-
ments occur. The tightness with which the gar-
ments are drawn at the waist greatly increases the
injury.

The custom of wearing the pantaloons buttoned
tightly at the top, and sustained by the hips, pro-
duced so much disease even among the hardy soldiers
of the Russian army, that a law was enacted making
the wearing of suspenders compulsory. If strong
men suffer thus, how much greater must be the in-
jury to frail, delicate women ! The constant pressure
and unnatural heat to which the lower part of the
back is subjected, is one of the chief causes of the
frequency of kidney diseases among women. Here is
found the source of " weak back," lumbago, pain in
the side, and several other diseases of the trunk
which affect so many thousands of American women.

Abuse of the Feet. — Though we have not space
here to elucidate fully the subject of the hygiene of
the feet, we cannot forbear calling attention to the
very common evil practices which relate to them.
Nothing could be more absurd than the modern mode
of dressing the feet. If some of the shoes and boots
which we have seen worn, and which seemed to be

264 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

highly prized by the wearers as being in the height
of fashion, had been constructed by the Inquisition,
and the same individuals had been compelled to wear
them in punishment for some real or alleged crime,
they would have been regarded as diabolical instru-
ments of torture ; and so they are. Who has not
seen a young Miss mincing along in a wholly unnatural
way, vainly striving not to seem to limp, in the sin-
ful attempt to compel her feet to be reconciled to the
scanty capacity of a pair of shoes two sizes too small
for her? Within a short period, Fashion has let go
her iron grasp upon the young men; but she still
holds as firm a grip as ever upon the tender feet of
misses and maidens as well as their elder sisters and
mothers, and compels them to place upon their feet
pretenses of coverings which cannot but produce dis-
comfort and disease. The narrow soles, and high,
narrow heels set forward near the middle of the foot,
are qualities most worthy of being heartily despised ;
and the man or woman who invented the foot-cover-
ing possessing these properties, so finely adapted to
torture the feminine foot, is responsible for an amount
of discomfort and misery, individual and domestic un-
happiness, and possibly of actual vice, which certainly
entitles him to the dishonor of being despised and re-
proached by the whole human kind.

A year or two ago, we thought Fashion had con-
cluded to be sensible at last, at least in the matter of
foot-coverings, but alas for our hopes ! Another turn
of the wheel and she comes up ns fickle and untrue to
the requirements of nature as ever, and demands that
woman shall wear French heels, or be ostracized from

THE YOUNG LADY. 265

the society of the elite, which to the majority of fash-
ionable women would be a fate as bad or worse than
death. We declare without mental reservation and
without the slightest remorse of conscience, as a pro-
fessional man and as a professed champion of truth,
that a French slipper or shoe, as made at present, is
as unfit for a human foot as a horseshoe. Far more
sensible would it be to return to the ancient custom of
wearing the rude, homely sandals which protected the
feet of the maidens of ancient Egypt and the Orient.

But let us look a moment at the real evils of these
fashionable coverings for ladies' feet. A tight shoe pre-
vents the proper circulation of the blood in the foot,
causing it to become cold. If the shoe or boot is thin,
the foot is still further chilled, and the blood which cir-
culates with difficulty through it is sent back to the in-
ternal organs with a temperature much below that re-
quired for health. Exposure to cold causes the blood-
vessels to contract so that less blood can circulate
through them. Thus one evil creates another. Thin
soles, being insufficient protection against wet, allow
the moisture of damp walks to reach the feet, making
them wet as well as cold. When the extremities are
chilled, the internal organs and the brain become con-
gested, too great a quantity of blood being crowded
into them. This is a common origin of the head-
aches from which school girls suffer so much, and
which are usually attributed to study.

The custom of wearing tight shoes with narrow
soles and high, narrow heels, begins in early maiden-
hood, if not childhood, — and sometiaioo the ab-
surd fashion even seizes upon the child as soon as

266 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

she leaves the cradle, for the precocious little one is
so smart she must be a lady at once, and so must dress
as ladies dress. At this period the bones are so soft
and flexible, the ligaments so yielding, that they are
easily forced into almost any mold, and the process
of deforming them begins. The small boot or gaiter
worn, — and it is always as small as can possibly be
pressed upon the foot with the thinnest possible stock-
ing,— allows no room for development of the organ,
and the improper shape produces deformity and dis-
tortion. The fashionable American girl does in a
somewhat more limited degree exactly what is done
for the Chinese maiden by a process of bandaging.
The narrow soles and small toes cramp the foot and
prevent it from supporting the weight of the body
upon its whole under surface as designed by nature.
The high heel throws the weight forward upon the
toes, which still further embarrasses them in their
cramped condition, and greatly increases the injury
arising from narrow toes and soles.

High, narrow heels do not afford sufficient support
for the foot, and it is easily turned to one side, often
resulting in serious sprains. The chief weight being
thrown forward upon the fore part of the foot, it be-
comes weary, in walking, much sooner than it other-
wise would. The narrow soles which usually accom-
pany high and narrow heels, are likewise productive
of injury, from not allowing the whole flat of the foot
co sustain the weight of the body as it should. Corns,
bunions, and various distortions of the feet, are caused
by wearing improperly fitting shoes or boots.

We have often witnessed these unfortunate young

THE YOUNG LADY. 267

women tiptoeing along the streets, evidently conscious
of appearing awkward and uncouth, and vainly en-
deavoring to conceal their crippled gait. The far-
ther toward the toes the heel is set, the worse this
difficulty becomes. In some of the latest foreign
styles the wearer is barely able to touch her toe to
the ground, except at the risk of tipping over for-
ward, and when walking, appears like a person stump-
ing along on stilts. We heartily believe in laws
against stealing, defrauding, taking life, and disturb-
ing the peace, and we can conceive of no reason why
the shoemaker who deliberately goes to work and man-
ufactures an instrument of torture which he perfectly
well knows must spoil the happiness, ruin the temper,
and make cripples of half of the women of Christen-
dom, should not be placed under the ban of the law
and visited with punishment commensurate to his
crimes.

But perhaps we are beginning at the wrong end.
It cannot be denied that ladies can obtain, if they
wish, loosely fitting shoes, with broad soles, wide toes,
and low and wide heels, and made of leather suffi-
ciently thick to afford at least as much protection as
a good quality of brown paper from the dampness and
chilliness of the moist walks which must be encount-
ered during the greater part of the year out of doors.
If ladies will do their duty by themselves and their
daughters, the evil may be speedily corrected; for
French heels will be made only so long as there is a
demand for them. We are not sure, after all, but
they owe their existence far more to female van-

268 TEE LADIES' GUIDE.

ity than to any malignant designs on the part of the
shoemakers.

Fashion in Deformity. — The thoughtful reader,
in view of the foregoing considerations, will be ready
to ask, How did these depraving and injurious fash-
ions first arise ? While it may be impossible to an-
swer this question in full, something of an explana-
tion is found in the fact that fashions of a deforming
character are common to almost every nation of the
globe, barbarous as well as civilized, but particularly
the former. It is very possible that the fancy for
deforming the person by compression of the waist
may be a vestige of the barbarous tendencies of the
race when in an uncivilized state. With this thought
in mind it is interesting to study the customs of vari-
ous nations with reference to deformities. We have
not space to pursue the subject further here and shall
content ourself with presenting on a plate a few
representations of the customs of various nations
which will speak for themselves. (See Plate H.)

False Hair and Hair Dyes. — The ungainly
masses of unnecessary material which fashion has
heaped upon the heads of those who bow to her au-
thority, is a frightful cause of diseases of the scalp
and brain. The immense loads of false hair, which
are attached to the head, cause a great increase of the
temperature of the brain and scalp. The blood-vessels
become congested, both externally and internally.
The result of this constant surplus of blood is disease
of the scalp and finally of the brain itself. Headache
is an almost constant symptom of the injury which is
being wrought by this improper treatment of the head.

PLATE H. — FASHION IX DEFORMITY.

THE YOUNG LADY. 269

In consequence of the disease of the scalp, the
hair soon becomes diseased, loses its brilliancy and
color, becomes dry and harsh, and in many cases is
lost altogether, complete and incurable baldness
ensuing.

The congestion of the brain which at first occa-
sions only headache, when continued, produces struct-
ural disease of that organ. The blood-vessels become
weakened, and sometimes rupture, when the patient
either dies of apoplexy or lingers a miserable par-
alytic.

When the head is encumbered with an unnatural
mass of hair, and the brain is clogged by the excessive
(amount of blood and preternatural heat which result,
the mind cannot act freely and naturally ; hard study,
deep thought, and continued mental exercise are im-
possible. This is the reason that fashionable young
ladies find study so hard for them, and apparently in-
jurious. The incubus of such a prodigious weight as
many a fashionable lady carries upon her cranium
would be quite sufficient to eclipse the mental powers
of the most brilliant genius. No wonder that woman
has sometimes failed in mental competition with her
brothers in the schools. The wonder is that she lives
and possesses even a modicum of mental vigor.

Much of the real hair that is sold to those whose
tresses are considered too scanty is often obtained
from the bodies of dead persons, whose graves are
plundered for the purpose by wretches who earn their
living by this means. Vermin of various kinds often
adhere to the hair, and infest the heads of those who
wear it. Various imitations of hair also become the

270 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

means of conveying loathsome parasites to the scalps
of those who wear them.

The use of hair dyes is a practice which the chem-
ist and experience have both shown to be eminently
dangerous All hair dyes are poisonous. No matter
how strong the assertions of their harmlessness, they
are utterly false. So-called vegetable hair dyes, hair,
invigorators, tonics, etc., are contemptible swindles.
They contain mineral poisons. The greater portion
of them contain lead. The effect of their use is not
only to destroy the hair and induce disease of the
scalp, but to produce paralysis. Many cases of
chronic headache have been occasioned by the use of
these poisonous mixtures ; and in a number of cases,
insanity has been the result.

The use of these vile compounds, which are so
widely sold and used, is usually as absurdly foolish as
harmful.

Healthful Clothing for Women. — " What shall
we wear ? " is a question we have often been asked
by ladies who had patiently listened to a description
of the evils of fashionable styles of dressing. We
should certainly be very remiss in duty if we failed
to point out a better way than that which we have
condemned. If ladies could only be induced to ig-
nore fashion altogether for a time, there would no
difficulty arise in the effort to conform to the order
of nature in the matter of dress, and in so doing
they would soon be delighted to find themselves
emancipated from the numerous ills which afflict them
in consequence of their present mode of dress, which
have been already pointed out. It may be that circum-

Grecian Dross.

Hawaiian Dress.

Chinese Foot

Chinese Sfipper.

PLATE J.

THE YOUNG LADY. 271

stances will not always allow of the adoption of a
dress which shall be wholly physiological in every
respect, which is to be regretted. Custom has so long
ruled that we are forced to yield a little to its man-
dates, though reluctantly. But it is quite possible
for every woman to adopt a dress which shall be, in
all essential particulars, free from serious defects, and
that without sacrificing an iota of her native grace or
modesty, or making a martyr of herself or her friends.

In the first place, the corset and all its substi-
tutes and subterfuges, tight belts, and every other de-
vice for compressing the waist or any other part of
the body can be at once discarded without the atten-
tion of any one being drawn to the fact unless it be
by the more elastic and graceful step, the brighter
color of the face, and the general improvement in
health in all respects. Suppose the waist does ex-
pand a little — or a good deal, even — beyond the stand- .
ayd seventeen inches ; is it any disgrace ? No, indeed.
A woman ought to be proud of a large waist. A
large waist indicates large lungs, and large vital or-
gans, which, in turn, represent the probabilities of
long life. A small waist indicates precisely the op-
posite.

Grecian ladies had no use for corsets, and did not
even confine their loose robes with a belt. The same
is true of the Hawaiian and Hindoo ladies of the
present day. The latter, at least, have no trouble
with the fashions, for two reasons : 1. Their fashions
are in conformity to health ; 2. Their fashions never
change. Women must emancipate themselves from

272 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

fashion before they can accomplish anything in the
direction of reform.

Why should woman — the gentler sex — be com-
pelled to wear a strait-jacket, like a madman or a
criminal, while man is allowed to go untrammeled by
any such impediment ? A strong popular sentiment
in favor of large waists would soon do away with the
foolish emulation to look frail and slender. If re-
quired, a suitable garment may be made, to support
the bust, which will fit the form neatly without com-
pressing any part. Several such garments and pat-
ems for others are manufactured and sold by various
parties in the large cities, east and west. See
Plate K. Able physicians declare that compression
of this part of the body, and the wearing of an un-
due amount of clothing, thus producing a local in-
crease of temperature, is the cause of many of the pe-
culiar diseases of woman, acting through reflex influ-
ence upon internal organs.

How to Dress Warmly. — The next important
step should be to regulate the clothing properly.
The whole body should be clad in soft flannel from
neck to wrists and ankles nearly the year round. It
is better to have the underclothing for the upper part of
the body and that for the limbs combined in one gar-
ment. If arranged in two garments, they should
only meet, and not overlap, as this gives too much
additional heat over the abdominal organs. See
Plate K, for pattern.

A woman's limbs require as many thicknesses as
a man's ; and a garment which fits the limb closely
will afford four times the protection given by a loose

PLATE K.

THE YOUNG LADY. 273

skirt. Thick shoes or boots with high tops, and
heavy woolen stockings which are drawn up outside
the undergarments clothing the limbs, complete the
provision for warmth. Leggins should be worn in
cold weather.

All the undergarments, including the stockings,
should be suspended from the shoulders by means of
waists or suspenders. Waists are doubtless the better
for the purpose. If several garments are to be sus-
pended from the same waist, the rows of buttons to
which they are attached should be arranged one above
another, to avoid bringing several bindings together.

The two most important particulars having been
secured, — freedom from compression and uniform tem-
perature,— the outside dress may receive attention.
It should be as simple as possible consistent with the
mental comfort of the wearer. Gaudy colors and con-
spicuous ornaments betray poor taste and a vain,
shallow mind. Many flounces, folds, and heavy over-
skirts are objectionable on account of their weight, to
say nothing of the useless expenditure of time and
money which they occasion.

The proper length of the skirt is a question of in-
terest in this connection. How long shall it be ? If
physiology alone were asked the question, the answer
would be that women do not need long skirts more
than men, and that they are really an impediment to
locomotion, and often very inconvenient. Custom
says that women must wear skirts. Fashion says
she must wear long skirts. Custom and fashion have
prevailed so long that they have created an artificial
modesty which seems to demand that woman's dress

274 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

must differ from man's by the addition of a skirt, at
least, even if they are alike in all other particulars.
This being the case, the best we can do is to modify
the skirt so that it will be as free from objections as
possible. The great evils of long skirts are, unneces-
sary weight, the accumulation of moisture which i»
transferred to the feet and ankles, and sundry incon-
veniences to the wearer in passing over rough places,
up and down stairs, etc.

The obvious remedy for these defects is to curtail
the length of the dress. The train must be discarded
at once as too absurd and uncleanly, with its filthy
load of gleanings from the gutter, to be tolerated.
Any further improvement, to be of practical utility,
must shorten the skirt to the top of the ankle, at least.

A distinguished lady physician remarks as follows
on this subject : —

" The externals of dress, though they involve a
moral question, seem to me of far less consequence
than the arrangement of the under-dress, for that in-
volves health. As now generally worn, the under-
dress is weakening the present generation of women ;
and, from the unvarying laws of nature, the effect
must be transmitted to future generations. Mothers
will confer upon their offspring a lower and lower
vitality; and when we consider the already fearful
mortality in infancy and childhood, there is little hope
for the future, unless we can have some reform in this
direction. And when the offspring is not thus early
cut off from mortal life, in many cases tendencies to
disease are inherited, which become active sooner or

THE YOUNG LADY. 275

later ; and thus life is robbed of usefulness and en-
joyment.

" There is to-day a growing prejudice against med-
ication ; and when disease invades the system, many
seek through physical culture the means of restora-
tion to health. The adoption of a hygienic dress
would be one of the best preventives of disease ; and
often some such reform is absolutely necessary before
strength can be regained."

The above opinions are fully corroborated by Prof.
T. G. Thomas, M. D., one of the most eminent au-
thorities in the world on diseases peculiar to women,
who writes as follows : —

" The dress adopted by the women of our times is
certainly conducive to the development of uterine dis-
eases, and proves not merely a predisposing but an
exciting cause of them. For the proper performance
of the function of respiration, an entire freedom of ac-
tion should be given to the chest, and more especially
is this needed at the base of the thorax, opposite the
attachment of the important respiratory muscle, the
diaphragm.

"A great deal of exposure is likewise entailed
upon women by the uncovered state of the lower ex-
tremities. The body is covered, but under the skirts
sweeps a chilling blast, and from the wet earth rises
a moist vapor that comes in contact with limbs en-
cased in thin cotton cloth, which is entirely inade-
quate for protection."

The testimony of scores of other eminent author-
ities might be given to the same effect.

276 THE LADIES* GUIDE.

Personal Beauty. — Every woman desires to be
beautiful ; and there are few women indeed who do not
yield to the instinct which leads her to adopt various
little devices for the purpose of increasing, or making
to appear to the best possible advantage, her natural
attractions of mind or person. But the popular idea
of beauty is in many respects faulty. A woman with
a pretty face and a fine figure may be or may not be
beautiful. Beauty is not simply "skin deep." Its
real elements are based upon mental and moral quali-
ties rather than mere physical traits. A face cannot
be really beautiful which hides behind it a character
devoid of worth. A superficial observer may mistake
a mere physical symmetry or comeliness for beauty ;
but an individual who is alive to the character of his
surroundings and sufficiently awake mentally and
morally to really know the significance of life, will
through his intuitions quickly discriminate between a
mere surface glitter and real beauty of soul or charac-
ter. Physical beauty is the shadow after which so
many seek, while character beauty is the real sub-
stance which is so often ignored. A beautiful charac-
ter cannot be ugly in its external expressions, no
matter how much Nature may seem to have neglected
the principle of mutual fitness. The face is so
thoroughly a mirror of the mind, simply a reflection
of the character, that the real beauty or ugliness of
the latter cannot fail to appear as plainly as the hand
writing upon the wall in ancient time, and no prophet
is required to interpret its meaning.

The way to cultivate real beauty, then, is to adorn
the heart and mind with valuable and lovely traits,

THE YOUNQ LADY. 277

and of all other mental and moral furnishing, nothing
is $o much to be desired as " the ornament of a meek
and quiet spirit."

Without the cultivation of inward beauty, outward
adornments and beautification are of little conse-
quence ; with such attainments only one thing more
is needful, viz., physical health. Nothing contributes
so much to the maintenance of a ^beautiful complexion,
a sparkling eye, and grace of form and motion, as an
active liver and sound digestion. Without these, it
is useless to depend upon cosmetics. Their action is
in the end harmful, as a rule, sometimes to a fatal de-
gree. With physical health and vigor, and mental
and moral worth, the individual whom Nature has ap-
parently neglected, in dispensing her favors, will not
be without attractions.

One of the most essential means of maintaining
healthful beauty aside from scrupulous attention to
diet, is the daily bath. A lady of fashion, in enumer-
ating the means for preserving beauty, says : " Clean-
liness, my last recipe (and which is applicable to all
ages), is of most powerful efficacy. It maintains the
limbs in their pliancy, the skin in its softness, the
complexion in its luster, the eyes in their brightness,
the teeth in their purity, and the constitution in its
fairest vigor. To promote cleanliness, I can recom-
mend nothing preferable to bathing. The frequent
use of tepid baths is not more grateful to the sense
than it is salutary to the health and to beauty. . .
By such means, the women of the East render their
skins softer than that of the tenderest babe in this
climate." " I strongly recommend to every lady to

278 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

make a bath as indispensable an article in her house
as a looking-glass."

When the foul matters which ought to be elimin-
ated by the skin and quickly removed from the body
are allowed to remain unremoved, the skin becomes
clogged and inactive, soon loses its natural luster and
color, becoming dead, dark, and unattractive. When
bathing is so much neglected, it is no marvel that
paints, powders, lotions, and cosmetics of all sorts,
are in such great demand. A daily bath, at the
proper temperature, is the most agreeable and efficient
of all cosmetics.

Bathing Protects against Colds. — It is an er-
roneous notion that bathing renders a person more
liable to " take cold, by opening the pores." Colds
are produced by disturbance of the circulation, not by
opening or closure of the pores of the skin. Fre-
quent bathing increases the activity of the circulation
in the skin, so that a person is far less subject to
chilliness and to taking cold. An individual who
takes a daily bath has almost perfect immunity from
colds, and is little susceptible to changes of tempera-
ture. Colds are sometimes taken after bathing, but
this results from some neglect of the proper precau-
tions necessary to prevent such an occurrence.

Neglecting to keep the skin active and vigorous
by frequent ablutions is one of the most prolific
causes of nearly all varieties of skin diseases, which
are also too often aggravated by gross dietetic habits.
The relation between the cutaneous function and
that of the kidneys is so intimate that neglect of the
kind mentioned, resulting as it must in obstruction of

THE YOUNG LADY. 279

function, is a very common cause of most dangerous
disorders of the renal organs. Inactivity of the skin
is also very commonly associated with dyspepsia,
with rheumatism, gout, hysteria, and other nervous
derangements. It is a not uncommon cause of
bronchial and pulmonary affections. It is quite
evident, then, that the proper and most efficient
means of preventing these diseases is to maintain the
functional vigor of the skin by the proper application
of water.

A modern writer declares that in Spain the relig-
ious instincts of the people have become so perverted
that it is considered sacrilege for a woman to bathe
more than once in her life, which is upon the eve of
her marriage. In more enlightened countries, it is to
be hoped that the condition of the feminine cuticle is
not quite so bad as that ; but another writer, an En-
glishman, asserts that a large proportion of his coun-
trymen "never submitted themselves to an entire
personal ablution in their lives, and many an octogen-
arian has sunk into his grave with the accumulated
dirt of eighty years upon his skin." American cus-
toms in this respect are not much better than the
English; but it is gratifying to know that a very
perceptible improvement is becoming evident in both
countries. Our intercourse with Oriental nations and
barbarians has taught us wholesome lessons in the
care of the person. There is scarcely a savage tribe
to be found in the deepest jungles of tropical Africa
the members of which do not pay more attention to
the preservation of a clean and healthy skin than the
average American or Englishman.

280 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

All nature attests the importance of the bath.
The rain is a natural shower bath in which all*vegeta-
tion participates, and gains refreshment. Its invigo-
rating influence is seen in the brighter appearance,
more erect bearing, and fresher colors, of all plants
after a gentle rain. The flowers manifest their grat-
itude by exhaling in greater abundance their fragrant
odor. Dumb animals do not neglect their morning
bath. Who has not seen the robin skimming along
the surface of the lake or stream, dipping its wings
in the cool waters, and laving its plumage with the
crystal drops which its flapping pinions send glittering
into the air ? No child that has ever seen the ele-
phant drink will forget how the huge beast improved
the opportunity to treat himself to a shower bath,
and perhaps the spectators as well, for he is very
generous in his use of water.

If man's instincts were not rendered obtuse by
the perverted habits of civilization, he would value
the bath as highly and employ it as freely as his
more humble fellow-creatures, whose instinctive im-
pulses have remained more true to nature, because
they have not possessed that degree of intelligence
which would make it possible for them to become so
grossly perverted as have the members of the human
race. Man goes astray from nature, not because he
is deficient in instinct, but because he stifles the
promptings of his better nature for the purpose of
gratifying his propensities.

A woman who has a perfectly healthy skin is
nearly certain to be healthy in other respects. In no
way can the health of the skin be preserved but by fre-

THE YOUNG LADY. 281

quent bathing. A daily or tri-weekly bath, accompan-
ied by friction, will keep the skin clean, supple, and rig-
orous. There is no reason why the whole surface of
the body should not be washed as well as the face
and hands, and the notion that a common sponge
bath is weakening is a popular error \frhich has grown
out of the fact that in the early days of the " cold-
water cure," many persons injured themselves by cold
bathing, and afteTward went to the other extreme in
the employment of the bath at too high a temperature.
A bath at a temperature but a few degrees below
that of the body may be taken daily without in-
jury and with decided benefit. A little fine soap
should be used once or twice a week to remove the
oily secretion of the skin, which is always present in
greater or less degree.

The following directions for treating a few of the
most common maladies of the skin, especially those
which affect the face and hands, we quote from our
larger work on " Rational Medicine " in which the
whole subject is more fully considered : —

Heat-Rash. — This is a form of eruption which
often occurs during the intense heat of summer. It
may consist of simply a diffused redness of the parts
exposed to the direct action of the sun's rays, usually
termed sunburn, or in the form of an eruption of mi-
nute, red pimples known as " prickly heat " eruption,
or " heat eruption," wThich is accompanied by severe
prickling and itching. Sunburn, when severe, is fol-
fowed by peeling off of the epidermis. Prickly heat
generally disappears within a few hours, but may con-
tinue some time and become a real eczema.

282 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

Treatment: For sunburn, cool the affected parts
with tepid compresses, and anoint well with vaseline.
Persons subject to prickly heat should wear silk or
cotton next the surface, and should avoid overheat-
ing themselves by overexertion during hot weather.
Irritation of the eruption may be relieved by cool
baths or cool sponging, bathing the surface with soda
or saleratus water, a teaspoonful to the pint. After
bathing, the surface should be dried by a gentle pat-
ting with a fluffy towel and without rubbing.

Erythema or Redness of the Skin. — This is a
disease of the skin characterized by redness, due to
active congestion or inflammation. It may occur as a
simple diffused redness, produced by cold, friction
from wearing flannel clothes, the rubbing together of
two folds of skin, etc. It also accompanies various
other diseases of the skin. Sometimes, in addition to
the diffused redness, an eruption of small red pimples
occurs on the face or hands. The digestion is often
disturbed, and the patient feels slightly feverish.
The duration of the disease is usually very short,
little treatment being required.

Treatment: The diet should be very light and
unstimulating. A warm bath should be taken daily,
and the affected parts should be covered with a thin
cloth moistened with tepid water, or with a solution
of saleratus, a teaspoonful to a pint of water. The
use three or four times a day of a lotion consisting of
equal parts of glycerine and soft water is also of great
service.

Aene — Face Pimples. — This is a very common
affection, especially between the ages of fifteen and

THE YOUNG LADY. 283

thirty years. The seat of the disease is the seba-
ceous follicles or oil-glands of the skin. The erup-
tion consists in pimples scattered over the face, neck,
back, and chest. The inflammation of each follicle
may run its course in three or four days, or may con-
tinue for a week or ten days. When the inflamed
part becomes indurated, or even hardened, the inflam-
mation may continue for several weeks. Several va-
rieties of the disease are observed; that just described
is the most common. Another form consists in ob-
struction of the outlets of the sebaceous glands, pro-
ducing what are sometimes termed flesh-worms, or
grubs. This form of acne is indicated by little black
specks, seen upon different parts of the face, but
chiefly upon the skin of the nose. Each speck marks
an obstructed outlet; and if pressure is made on
either side, something having the appearance of a
small grub may be pressed out. Upon careful exam-
ination, this so-called grub proves to be a mass of
hardened sebaceous matter, or sebum, which has as-
sumed its grub-like form by being pressed through
the small mouth of the follicle. The black speck, giv-
ing to this little cylinder of fat the appearance of a
head, is simply a small accumulation of dirt. The
technical term for one of these little masses is comedo.
When examined under a microscope, these are often
found to contain a whole family* of parasites, male,
female, and their numerous progeny. It is not proba-
ble that this parasite gives rise to the disease, but
rather that the distended follicle furnishes an agreea-
ble home for the insect, which is closely related to
the acarus scabiei, or itch mite. In another form of

284 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

acne, in which the nose and the adjoining portion of
the cheek are chiefly involved, in addition to the pim-
ples described there is intense congestion and redness
of the parts, due to enlargement of the blood-vessels
which are sometimes so much distended as to be dis-
tinctly visible. This form of the disease is termed
acne rosacea.

The chief causes of acne are erroneous dietetic
habits. People suffering with acne can bring on an
acute attack at any time by the use of rich pastry, fried
food, and large amounts of sugar or sweet food, etc.
Doughnuts, griddle cakes, cheese, hot bread, pre-
serves, candies, and similar dietetic abominations, are
very active causes of different forms of this affection.
Acne rosacea is very frequently the result of using al-
coholic liquors in some form, on which account it is
sometimes termed, when seen in persons addicted to
drinking, the "rum-blossom." Acne is sometimes the
result of debilitating habits, particularly secret vice in
young persons, though it should be by no means sup-
posed that every young person affected with this dis-
ease is addicted to secret vice.

Oily Skin. — In some persons there is an excessive
production of sebaceous matter or sebum, due to mor-
bid activity of the fatty glands of the skin. The skin
of such persons presents a shiny look. Little beads of
oily matter may be seen at the mouths of the glands
near the roots of the hairs. The forehead, nose, and
cheeks are most frequently affected. When the scalp
is affected, the condition may be indicated by soiling
of the pillow. Acne is frequently accompanied by
this condition.

THE YOUNG LADY. 285

Treatment : The only treatment to be employed is
the frequent application of soap. When many of the
glands are clogged up, as indicated by the abundance
of grubs, the surface should first be thoroughly rubbed
with warm oil. Cocoanut or almond oil is the best.
After half an hour the surface should be rubbed with
a flannel cloth, thoroughly saturated with soap moist-
ened with warm water, and stretched over the fingers ;
or a soft sponge may be used. This is best done at
night, just before retiring. When the secretion of fat
is very profuse, the operation may be repeated two or
three times a day.

Dry Skin. — A condition of deficient secretion of
fat is very frequently met with in cases of dyspepsia
and in persons suffering with other wasting diseases.
The best remedy is the daily application of the olive
oil or vaseline.

Dandruff, or Dandriff. — This is a condition in
which branny scales are shed from the scalp in great
abundance. It may be due to eczema or pityriasis, as
already remarked, or may result from a disorder of
the sebaceous glands, and from acne. The latter is
the most common cause of the disease. In this form
of the affection, the abnormal secretion of the fat
glands appears upon the scalp as yellowish scales.
This condition is akin to that described under the
head of oily skin, being, in fact, a dry form of the
same disease. This condition is sometimes present
upon the nose and cheeks as well as the scalp. It is
often a very annoying complaint. When affecting the
scalp, it sooner or later results in loss of the hair.
This is not because the dandruff destroys the hair,

286 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

but because the same disease which causes the dan-
druff* interferes with the nutrition of the hair, thus* oc-
casioning its loss. On account of its tendency to pro-
duce baldness, the disease should never be neglected.
Dandruff is generally occasioned by disorder of the
digestion, or some other debilitating disease.

Treatment : Restore the general health by proper
attention to the digestion and general hygiene. For
dandruff of the face, apply the same remedies recom-
mended for oily skin. The scalp should also be treated
in the same way, by gentle shampooing with ordinary
washing soap once or twice a' week. A very soft
brush should be used. Neither a stiff brush nor a fine
comb should ever be used for removing dandruff.
After shampooing, a liniment composed of equal parts
of castor-oil and alcohol may be rubbed on the scalp,
or an ointment composed of a drachm of tannin to an
ounce of vaseline.

Offensive Perspiration. — This is a condition which
is sometimes exceedingly annoying. It is occasioned
by the excretion in the sweat of elements of an offen-
sive character. Odors of various kinds are produced.
Rheumatic persons are generally most disagreeably
affected. The arm-pits are the portions of the body
most frequently affected, the offensive odor arising
from the feet being due to decomposition of the sweat,
and not to the abnormal character of the secretion.
This condition is sometimes very difficult to overcome.
The best remedy is thorough cleansing of the parts, at
least twice a day, with soap and water, or some disin-
fectant lotion, as permanganate of potash, a solution
of chlorinated soda, or of two or three per cent of

THE YOUNG LADY. 287

carbolic acid. Washing the affected part with a solu-
tion of chloral, a drachm to the ounce, is a recently
recommended remedy. What is known as Bromid-
rosis, is a condition in which the perspiration imparts
to the clothing some peculiar color.

Freckles — Lentigo. — These consist in an increase
of the pigment or coloring matter of the skin in small
spots. They most often occur in persons who have
delicate skins, being greatly increased by exposure to
sun and wind, though not produced by them, as is tan.
They do not necessarily indicate an inactive state of
the liver. Quite an eminent authority on lung disease
declares that freckles indicate a predisposition to con-
sumption.

Treatment : Very difficult of removal, and impossi-
ble if patient continues exposure. It is better to have
the freckles however than to forego the valuable influ-
ence of the sunshine and fresh air. The advertised lo-
tions and cosmetics are either dangerous or useless.
The following are a few of the best-known remedies
for the removal of freckles and tan : —

1. Three tablespoonfuls of fresh scraped horse-
radish; buttermilk, a pint. Allow to soak six or
eight hours, shaking occasionally. Cider vinegar is
sometimes used in place of the horse-radish. Apply
to the face at night, leaving on till morning.

2. Two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice; an equal
quantity of water ; a tablespoonful of glycerine ; a
heaping teaspoonful of powdered borax. Apply three
or four times a day, drying after fifteen or twenty
minutes with a fluffy towel.

288 THE LADIES* GUIDE.

Moth Patches — Liver Spots — Chloasma. — The
brownish spots o£ irregular shape and size often seen
upon the face, and popularly known as "liver spots,"
are similar to freckles, but larger in size. They often
accompany disease of the liver, and are not infre-
quently present in diseases of the womb, which may
be due to the fact now well understood that disease
of the liver is a common cause of disease of the
womb.

Treatment : Little or nothing can be done for these
blemishes except to improve the general condition as
much as possible.

Baldness. — There are two varieties of baldness,
the ordinary form, and what is known as "patchy
baldness," a form in which the hair is lost only in
circumscribed spots. The loss of hair usually begins
first at the temples, the forehead, or the crown, grad-
ually extending. It is very common in old age, being
the result of the general decline in nutrition which
occurs in advanced life. When it occurs in early or
middle life, it most commonly results from the disease
of the scalp known as dandruff. Baldness also results
from eczema and from ringworm and favus. Tempo-
rary baldness not infrequently follows erysipelatous,
typhoid, and other fevers. Baldness may be occa-
sioned by anything which deteriorates the general
health. Excessive brain labor, resulting in conges-
tion of the head and too much heat in the scalp, may
produce it. It may be the result of dyspepsia, of ex-
cesses of various kinds, and of any debilitating dis-
ease. Men suffer more than women, which is proba-
bly due to the fact that women do not so habitually

THE YOUNG LADY. 289

overheat the head by the constant wearing of warm
head coverings. In some cases, the disease is
hereditary.

Treatment: Prevention is the best remedy, as
many cases are incurable. The scalp should never be
overheated. Head coverings should be light, and
should allow free access of air to the head at all
times. The hair should not be harshly brushed with
a stiff brush, and should never be combed with a fine,
sharp-ioothed comb. This is particularly true if
dandruff is present, as the measures referred to will
certainly aggravate the difficulty. When the hair is
very dry, a little fine unguent of some kind may be
employed ; but the common practice of " greasing "
the hair is a bad one. Such harsh mixtures as are
often employed by barbers in shampooing are very
harmful to the hair. Soap should be rarely used
unless of the finest quality, but the head should be
kept clean by frequent washing with warm water,
shampooing with the white of egg, followed by thor-
ough rinsing.

When the scalp is smooth and shiny, especially in
cases of " patchy baldness," which is due to nervous
disease of the scalp, little can be expected from treat-
ment. If a large number of hairs are still present,
however, even though they are very short and thin,
something may be done. The case is much more
hopeful in young than in old persons. When heredi-
tary, little can be expected from treatment. First
attention should be given to the general health. The
various stimulating lotions which are advertised for
this purpose should be carefully avoided, as they will

290 THE LADIES9 GUIDE,

be rarely successful, and may do much harm. No
amount of stimulation of the scalp will effect more
than temporary benefit unless the general nutritive
forces of the patient are also improved by attention
to hygiene.

It is rarely necessary to cut the hair close, and
shaving the scalp is quite unnecessary. If the scalp
is dry, a little fine oil should be rubbed upon it daily
with much gentle friction. If dandruff is present,
treat as directed on page 286. If the case is ob-
stinate, consult a physician.

Hirsutes— Overgrowth of the Hair.— This morbid
condition consists in an abnormal development of the
fine short hairs. It is most troublesome in ladies, in
whom the hair of the upper lip is sometimes suffi-
ciently developed to form a mustache. We recently
met a case in which a full silken beard had grown.

Treatment : The so-called depilatories sold for the
relief of this condition are worthless. They do noth-
ing more than to remove the external portion of the
hqir, only penetrating a short distance into the hair
follicle, and hence the hairs soon grow again. Being
usually composed chiefly of lime, considerable irrita-
tion is not infrequently produced, and sometimes
quite severe disease of the skin. Pulling out the
hairs is only temporary in its effects, although more
lasting than the action of depilatories. The only cure
is destruction of the hair or its follicle. This may be
generally accomplished by passing into the follicle a
fine glover's needle and twisting it about in such a
way as to excite sufficient inflammation to obliterate
or close it. Sometimes a heated needle is used for

THE YOUNG LADY. 291

the purpose. The best plan of all is to pass a current
of electricity through the needle after it has been in-
serted into the follicle. Galvanic electricity is neces-
sary for this purpose. This method of treatment
is the most satisfactory of all. We have employed it
in a number of cases with entire success and do not
rely on any other method as entirely efficient.

• MSRRIHGE,

The scope of this work does not permit us to con-
sider this subject at any length in other than its
physical relations. Considered from the stand-point
of health alone, marriage under favorable circum-
stances is conducive to the longevity of the individual
as well as necessary to the perpetuation of the race.
Statistics show that married persons, whether male or
female, live longer on the average than unmarried
persons. There are various influences which may
contribute to cause this difference other than those
which arise directly from the matrimonial state ; but
after making fair allowance for these, it is probably
true that the influence of marriage is to prolong life
when the privileges which it allows are not abused.
Marriage as an institution is as old as the human race.
As a natural rite, traces of the institution exist among
the lowest and most degraded tribes of the human
race, and also to some extent among certain classes of
the lower animals. At different ages of the world
and among different classes of people, marriage has
been regarded in very different ways. At some pe-
riods and among some races, it has been looked upon

292 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

as of trifling import, — a state which might be entered
upon and withdrawn from at pleasure, by either
party, though usually the husband has considered it
his right to rule in the matter, making or dissolving
the marriage bond at will. Among all Christian na-
tions, however, the rite of marriage has ever been
looked upon as most sacred in character, binding alike
upon both husband and wife, and not to be dissolved
without cause of the gravest character. Unfortu-
nately, the notion of marriage which prevails among
savage and barbarous people at the present time,
which regards the institution as simply a convenient
arrangement or formal contract, seems to have fast-
ened itself to a very considerable extent upon the
minds of certain classes even in the civilized com-
munities of the present day. The records of our
courts and the columns of the daily newspaper afford
abundant evidence of this fact. This disregard of the
sanctity of marriage and contempt for its restrictions
is one of the most alarming tendencies of the present
age. It is no uncommon spectacle to see men and
women of good standing in society appear in court in
a suit for divorce without in the slightest degree af-
fecting their standing with their society friends, or in
any way disturbing their social position. Doubtless
much of this loss of regard for the marriage institu-
tion and the desire to escape from its bonds arises
from evils which have their foundation in a want of
mutual adaptation in the wedded parties. Undoubt-
edly the great haste to enter the matrimonial state
manifested by the young people of the present day
and the wholly artificial conditions under which ac-

THE YOUNG LADY. 293

quaintanceships leading to marriage are formed and
carried on, tend strongly to detract from Jhe sanctity
with which the institution should be regarded.

In view <*f these facts it is important to coiisider
some of the factors which go to make up a healthful
and happy matrimonial union.

The Object of Marriage. — Physiology recognizes
one object for the institution of marriage, namely, the
preservation of the species. This is undoubtedly its
primary object, although there are other ends to be
attained by marriage which add to its importance and
dignity as a divinely established institution. A genu-
ine woman looks forward to the possibilities of
motherhood with glad anticipations, — the sexual priv-
ileges of the married relation are not the attractions
which lead her to desire to enter upon it ; but it is
not to be supposed that motives of so high and
chaste a character are always the actuating ones.
The passion denominated love might often be more
properly termed lust. The opportunity for the grati-
fication of the animal passions is no part of the func-
tion of marriage. The instincts of the animal nature
were never intended by the Creator to become domi-
nant in their influence, but simply subservient to the
accomplishment of the great ends for which the insti-
tution of marriage was created.

When to Marry. — This question is a purely

physiological one. At any rate, the physiological

aspect of the question is the leading one and the

dictum of physiology must be allowed to settle

the question whenever any conflict of opinions may

arise. The voice of physiological science on this

294 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

question is a clear and decisive one. She speaks in
terms which cannot be mistaken. According to her
ruling, the earliest period at which marriage can occur
physiologically is that at which the btfdy completes
its development, which is not before twenty to
twenty-two in the female, and twenty-four to twenty-
six in the male. The girl may attain her full growth
in height two or three years before this time, but
growth in stature is not the whole of development.
The developmental process is one which involves
every organ in the body. It includes the broadening
and deepening of the chest and the expansion of the
pelvis; the development of rudimentary nerve-cells
and fibres, the hardening or ossification of the bones,
and numerous other details of development too nu-
merous to mention. Some of these, particularly those
which relate to the complete development of the
brain and nervous system, are not fully accomplished
until some years later than the ages above men-
tioned.

Marriage involves the probability of offspring;
and for a woman to enter the marriage state and take
upon herself the responsibility of bringing into the
world new beings before she has herself attained com-
plete physical development, is nothing more nor less
than a physical crime. The mother transmits to her
offspring her own characteristics. If the mother is
immature and imperfectly developed, her child will
have impressed upon it the stamp of her immaturity
and will come into the world with a defective organi-
zation destined never to attain mature development
Who has not met time and again the progeny of these

THE YOUNG LADY. 295

girl-mothers grown old in years but as childish in
intellect as though they were yet in their teens.
Such children are destined to a short and inefficient
life. No experienced stock-raiser ever allows his ani-
mals to breed until they have attained their full ma-
turity, knowing well that the offspring of young
mothers are not such as to be desired, and that they
will be weak and of feeble constitution, and will not
reach the high order of excellence which he wishes
to maintain.

It is a notable fact that among nations who are de-
generating and whose national characteristics present
the marks of race deterioration in operation for many
centuries, marriages occur at a very early age. For
instance, we are informed by travelers in Japan that
maidenhood is a period of life not known in that coun-
try. As soon as the period of puberty is reached,
the girl becomes a married woman and assumes the
duties of a wife and mother. The same is true of
nearly all other Eastern countries, in the Sandwich
Islands, in the interior of Africa, and even in some
more civilized countries, as in Italy, and to a consid-
erable extent in Spain. In all of these countries
physical, mental, and moral degeneracy is apparent
in a very marked degree, and who can doubt that
early marriage is one of the most prolific causes?
The ancient Grecian philosopher, Plato, fixed the ages
of marriage at twenty for the female and thirty for
the male. In modern Greece as well as in oriental
countries the ages at which marriage usually occurs
are much earlier than this. The result of following
the wholesome advice of Plato was the production of

296 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

a nation which led the world in culture, enlighten-
ment, and literary prowess ; but the Greeks of the
present day can boast of neither mental nor physical
preeminence.

There are other reasons besides those of a
purely physiological character which forbid ttf e en-
trance of the marriage state before the ages men-
tioned. Before this time, the judgment is not suffi-
ciently mature to enable a young woman to make a fit
selection of a partner for life. Her own character is
not thoroughly formed ; her tastes are not yet fully
developed. The person who may answer to her ideal
husband at sixteen might appear in a very different
light after a few more years' experience with the
world. The selection of a life partner is one of the
most momentous questions which a human being is
ever called upon to settle ; and it is certainly highly
improper that such a question should be settled once
for all while the character is undeveloped and the
judgment immature.

Again, until the age of twenty to twenty-two or
twenty-three years the vital forces are wholly re-
quired for the proper maturing of the structures of
the body and the development of the mind. A young
woman of sixteen or eighteen is totally unprepared to
enter upon the grave responsibilities of wifehood or
motherhood. How many great statesmen, philoso-
phers, or authors have been born of girl-mothers?
The great men of the world have had, almost with-
out exception, mothers whose youth was occupied
in fitting themselves mentally and physically for the
grave duties of later years. The girl who marries at

THE YOUNG LADY. 297

sixteen and settles down to the routine of domestic
duties, as must be the case in the majority of in-
stances, has little further opportunity for storing the
mind with useful knowledge, cultivating the intellect,
and preparing herself to discharge her duty to society
in such a way as to leave a lasting impression upon it.
The women of influence, those who are the shining
lights of society, are those who have not been in too
great haste to assume responsibilities for which they
were not prepared and of which they knew nothing.
They have been women who devoted the early years
of womanhood and maidenhood to the acquisition of
knowledge and the formation of refined tastes, to the
cultivation of mind and morals, and the formation of
habits of industry and usefulness. Such women have
found plenty to occupy their time until they had at-
tained to full maturity without devoting any portion
of it in setting traps for husbands. The other day we
heard of a woman boasting to her daughter of sixteen
that she was engaged eighteen times before she was
as many years of age. It was not at all surprising that
the daughter of such a mother should marry a boy as
childish as herself and but a little older.

A girl who marries at fifteen or sixteen years of
age, never attains to full development of either mind
or body. The duties of wifehood and maternity make
demands upon her vitality which she is not prepared
to support, and consequently her development is
dwarfed in every way. Females suffer more than
males in consequence of early marriage, as in addition
to other exhausting demands, they have imposed upon
them the burden of childbearing. It is an appalling

298 THE LADIES GUIDE.

thought that these weak and immature mothers will
not only transmit to their children their own deficien-
cies of development, but through their children the
same defects of constitution and character will be
transmitted to the next generation, and thus the evil
be perpetuated, the offspring of each generation grow-
ing weaker and weaker, and becoming more and more
liable to disease, and showing greater constitutional
defects, until the line becomes extinct, unless the de-
generating process is checked by some intervening
influence of a redeeming character.

Young Wives and Old Husbands. — Occasionally,
far too frequently in fact, the good sense of society is
shocked by a matrimonial union between a blooming
young girl and some infirm octogenarian whose only
charm is the possession of a large fortune. It is
hardly conceivable that a young girl could be actu-
ated by other than sordid motives in allowing herself
to make an alliance of this character. It is wholly
unnatural that young women should love and desire
to marry men bordering on decrepitude if not actually
infirm with age. Too often these unions are the re-
sult of coercion on the part of the parents, who are
willing to sacrifice the feelings of their daughter and
her life happiness for the purpose of making what
they consider an advantageous family alliance.. Such
a course on the part of parents is in the highest de-
gree criminal, and the daughter who is the victim of
such monstrous cruelty is deserving of sympathy and
commiseration. Her life is destined to be a desolate
one. Many a young woman marrying under such
circumstances has in the desperation of her unhappi-

THE YOUNG LADY. 299

ness sacrificed character, home, and friends rather
than endure the galling bondage of such an ill-assorted
marriage.

The children of such a marriage, if it is a fruitful
one, are cursed by the results, as well as the parents.
The old, unhappy faces of such little ones are really
sad to look upon. They are certain to die early, and
their premature death is, in most cases, a happy event,
both for themselves and the world. Many times
scrofula and consumption make their existence a
curse to themselves and a burden to others, so that
death comes as a grateful release.

Another feature of this sort of marriages is the
fact that the husband has, in the majority of instances,
been married before, perhaps more than once, and very
likely has grown-up children who still" need the care
of a mother. No young woman, with an ordinary
amount of common sense and foresight, would venture
into such a home to preside over it as its mistress
without the most serious foreboding. Step-mothers,
especially if young, have a hard lot. They seldom
receive sympathy either from their husbands or their
friends. The husband is very certain to sympathize
with the children, and if the friends do not take sides
with the children in their real or imaginary troubles,
the mother does not receive their sympathy, the gen-
eral feeling being that she knew what was before her,
and ought to have known better than to place herself
under such circumstances.

As a rule, the husband should be one or two years
older than the wife, but the difference should not ex-
ceed eight or ten years in favor of the husband. Too

300 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

great a difference in age makes the husband and wife
too unlike in tastes and in character. A woman
should avoid marrying a man younger than herself.
As a rule, a young woman is more mature than a man
of the same age, and for a woman to marry a man
younger than herself is to prepare her for domestic
unhappiness in the lack of the husband's power to
command proper respect from his wife on account of
his own inferiority in years and development.

Whom to Marry. — We have already given sev-
eral hints respecting the selection of a husband, but a
few more words on the same subject will be admiss-
ible. We do not propose to give exact rules on this
point, knowing very well that such rules will not be
followed if laid down, as marriage is not a thing to be
governed strictly by law, although it is a matter in
which, above all others, calmness, consideration, and
deliberation should be exercised. "Love at first
sight " is seldom the kind of love which will bear the
test of years of association and the trials and per-
plexities of married life, together with its disappoints
ments and hardships, which frequently come through
the reverses of fortune. Genuine love is that which
is based upon a real adaptation of individuals to each
other, and must be the outgrowth of real acquaintance
with the character, tastes, habits, and all that goes to
make up the sum of personal traits and characteristics.
Love based on any less thorough foundation than this,
can scarcely be called genuine, and is not likely to
last. We have known cases in which marriages re-
sulting from "love at first sight" were apparently
mutually happy; but these are certainly excep-

THE YOUNG LADY. 301

tions to the rule. What is mistaken for love in these
cases is simply fancy. A young lady meets a young
gentleman at a party, or has an introduction to him
under some other circumstances in which he is ap-
pearing at his best. She sees only one side of him,
and that only a very small side. She may be favor-
ably impressed with his general appearance or with
some particular feature, such as impressive eyes or a
good form, or she may be fascinated, through love of
dress, by a fashionable suit of clothes, an ivory-headed
cane, a richly set ring, or some other showy orna-
ment. Any of these fancies may be mistaken for
love, but they are wholly different from the genuine
article. True love is a sentiment excited only by
responsive sympathies from a kindred soul. Love
which is centered only on externals is as superficial a
feeling as that on which it is fixed. The only ele-
ment in manhood or womanhood worthy of love is the
character. This does not depend upon externals,
although there is undoubtedly a close harmony be-
tween the external and internal characteristics of the
individual.

Let us consider, then, some of the points to which
a young woman should give attention in selecting
from among those who may bestow attentions upon
her, the one who will be the most likely to make her
a good husband.

1. The individual must be of the proper age. A
suitor her inferior in years or one many years her
senior should be at once discarded for reasons already
given. Such persons sometimes make good husbands,
but the circumstances are very rare which can make

302 TUE LADIES' GUIDE.

a violation of this rule a safe course to follow or one
likely to result in happiness. The usual result is un-
happiness and the nearest approach to purgatory on
earth.

2. He should be the possessor of good health and
a good constitution. Some sentimental mothers will
exclaim against such a restriction as this, but we in-
sist that this is a matter of too great importance to be
ignored. A young man who has not good health can-
not make a good husband in the fullest sense, as fee-
bleness of constitution will render him liable to become
unable to contribute to the support of the family, and
the wife, enfeebled by the duties of maternity and the
double burdens of caring and providing for her house-
hold, may find herself placed in the most unhappy and
embarrassing circumstances.

Again, a husband Avho is not in the enjoyment ot
good health is not prepared to transmit a good consti-
tution to his children. Although the mother may
herself be healthy, she may have imposed upon her
the task of rearing children blighted Avith disease from
the very moment of conception, and destined to live
short and suffering lives, a constant source of anxiety
to their parents and of misery to themselves.

Before entering upon such a union, a young
woman should also take into consideration the fact
which has been mentioned in the physiology of re-
production, namely, that in some mysterious manner
the constitution of the wife is modified by that of the
husband, probably through the influence of the child
during pregnancy, so that her own health may suffer
to a greater or less degree as well as that of the child.

THE YOUNG LADY. 303

She should also recollect that the impression thus
made on the constitution is ineffaceable, so that though
the feeble husband should die and a subsequent
marriage be with a healthy man, the resulting off-
spring might still be affected by the feebleness of the
former husband.

It is obvious that a man suffering Avith any con-
tagious disease is wholly unfit to enter the marriage
state. A young woman should take pains to ascer-
tain whether or not the young man who offers his
hand in marriage is free from any possible taint of
any of the diseases which result from immorality'.
We have often met cases in which Ave have found
women suffering in the most painful manner from dis-
eases which were the direct result of contagion from
husbands who had before marriage contracted some
form of venereal disease.

Dr. Noegerath of New York City, some years ago
read a paper before the American Gynaecological
Society, in which he called attention to the fact that
a latent or apparently cured Gonorrhoea contracted
many years before might excite the most serious and
intractable forms of uterine and ovarian disease in a
woman who had before marriage been free from any
form of sexual disorder. The paper referred to cited
many cases in illustration of the position taken, and
since our attention was called to the matter, we have
observed quite a large number of cases in which the
existing disease could be traced to no other cause,
and could be fairly attributed to this.

The only safe rule for a woman to follow in this
matter is to refuse to marry any man who has suffered

304 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

from any form of venereal disease. This rule we
would make imperative. We grant that there are
cases in which this restriction may seem a severe one,
but so long as men understand that they can violate
every law of purity and decency without prejudicing
their chances for a satisfactory marriage, masculine
purity, and consequently feminine purity also, lacks
one of the strongest safe-guards which may be thrown
around it. Hence, we advise every young woman be-
fore marrying any young man concerning whose past
history she has any suspicion whatever, or is in the
dark, to make careful inquiry from those who have
had opportunity to know, and if she cannot obtain
the desired information elsewhere, to seek it from the
young man himself.

A young man whose family is known to be con-
sumptive, and who himself possesses tendencies in the
same direction, should not be considered a fit husband
for any young woman, nor indeed for any one. We
have .known cases in which young women have so ut-
terly ignored this fact as to marry men who were
already in the advanced stages of the disease. In
one case which came under our immediate notice, the
man being a patient under our care for a short time,
the husband, a recent graduate, died in a few weeks
after the marriage^ of pulmonary tuberculosis, after
suffering from the disease for several months, it be-
ing well advanced at the time of his marriage. It is
a weak sentimentality which leads a young woman to
think it her duty to marry a young man in order to
be his nurse. A man Avho really needs a nurse can
employ one as easily as he can support a wife, and

THE YOU&G LADY. 305

can doubtless secure more skillful services than a wife
could possibly render.

Hereditary tendency to insanity should also be
sufficient to render a young man, otherwise in every
respect unobjectionable, ineligible tp marriage.

Epilepsy is another disease so evidently hereditary
in character and so closely allied to mental disease
that the son of an epileptic father or mother should
be regarded as likely to make a very undesirable
husband, since the disease might at any time make its
appearance though it may have been quiescent until
the time of marriage, and it is likely to appear in the
children even if the father should happen to escape.
A person suffering with epilepsy or any other form of
nervous disease should of course be considered unfit
to enter the marriage state. Epileptics are as a rule
defective mentally and often morally. The observa-
tion has been made that a much larger proportion of
epileptics is found in the criminal classes than among
other classes of society.

A year or two ago we took part in a discussion at
a meeting of a medical association at which a paper
had been presented by a professor of genito-urinary
diseases in men. In considering the question whether
syphilitics should marry, the professor had taken the
position in his paper that a person who had suffered
a severe attack of syphilis should delay marriage
for two or three years, after which time he considered
marriage perfectly admissible. We of course took
issue with the professor on this point, since he had
considered only the question of contagion, and had
wholly ignored the fact that a man who has suffered

306 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

with syphilitic disease, though he may have recovered
from the active symptoms of the malady to such a
degree that he is not liable to communicate it directly
to another person, is pretty certain to transmit the
results of the horrible disorder to his children, in
whom they will appear, if not in the most active form
of the disease, as is often the case, in the form of
scrofula, consumption, rickets, and other constitutional
disorders. We would insist with the greatest em-
phasis that a syphilitic individual should never marry.
While it is possible that this hereditary disease may
be eradicated by a long course of training and abste-
miousness, it is never possible to say with any degree
of certainty that the disease is cured, and the com-
mon method of treating this malady is such that while
the active symptoms are repressed, the seeds of the dis-
ease are left in the system to make their appearance
later on in life or in the next generation.

Congenital defects, as hare-lip, congenital deafness
or blindness, and deformities of various kinds, should
be considered an objection to marriage as these de-
formities are likely to appear in the children. This
is not an invariable rule, but it is true in a sufficient
number of cases to render it undesirable that a person
possessing them should take any part in the produc-
tion of the race, for whom it were better that such in-
dividuals should contribute nothing to the increase of
human beings rather than that the defective organiza-
tions which they possess should be perpetuated. Such
a rule respecting the choice of husbands would be
wholly unnecessary in most barbarous countries, and
was unknown in ancient times, as it was then cus-

THE YOUNG LADY. 307

tomary as it is now among uncivilized nations, to
destroy congenital cripples at birth. A dyspeptic, a
chronic rheumatic, an asthmatic, a paralytic, a person
with a hereditary tendency to scrofula, in fact, any
individual suffering with any marked deviation from
the standard of health, will not be looked upon by a
healthy young woman who considers the matter of
matrimony from the stand-point of physiology and
physical health, as desirable for a husband.

3. He should be a man of good habits. By good
habits we mean not only steady, industrious, thrifty
habits with a disposition to economize and avoid ex-
travagance, but freedom from such habits as the use of
liquor, tobacco, and other stimulants and narcotics.
Young women sometimes marry young men in a sort
of missionary spirit, thinking that through their in-
fluence over them they will be able to effect a reform
and thus wean them from the injurious habits which
they may have contracted. This is an illusion which
but a few weeks of married life suffice to dispel. A
young man who does not care enough for the young
lady whom he wishes to become his wife to reform
before marriage, will never reform afterward. In
fact, it is a very dangerous piece of business for a
young woman to run the risk of marrying a man who
has been "just a little fast." Habits of dissipation
when once thoroughly fastened upon an individual are
not easily shaken off, and though he may reform for
a time, favorable circumstances will be likely to lead
him back into the same channel again.

The notion which we sometimes hear expressed,
that " reformed rakes make the best husbands," is as

308 THE LADIES7 GUIDE.

far from the truth as anything well can*be. It is ex-
ceedingly rare that a man who has lived a rakish life
ever makes such a thorough reform as to be in any
way worthy of the affection of a pure-minded young
woman ; and if the reform of his moral nature be such
as to make him not unworthy of her confidence and
love, the chances are ten to one that his physical sys-
tem is so depraved as the result of his lapses from vir-
tue that he is wholly unfit to become the husband of
a pure and healthy wife. Some years ago, we remon-
strated in the most earnest manner with a young lady
who was about to marry a young man whom we
knew to have lived for years a dissolute life and
whom we had treated for the terrible disease which
usually results from such a life. She replied that if
the disease from which he was suffering was not in
such a stage that she was liable to catch it, she should
not consider it any objection to accepting him as a
husband.

The readiness with which women forgive the lapses
from virtue in man is astounding when we consider
their unforgiving, unrelenting disposition toward those
of their own sex who may have fallen, as well as the
contemptuous manner in which men treat such wo-
men, even those who may have been the victims
of their wickedness. What pure-minded man, who
possessed even a modicum of self-respect, would
think of asking a woman who had lived a life of
shame to become his wife ? It is rare indeed that a
man can be found that will accept as his wife a wo-
man who may have lapsed from virtue even once and
under circumstances which ought to form an apology

THE YOUNG LADY. 309

for the sin, if such a sin can be condoned. Until
men are willing to accept without question, as wives,
women who, they have reason to believe, have ignored
the requirements of chastity and purity, it will bo
just as well as wise for women to be equally scrupulous
respecting the conduct before marriage of those who
wish to become their husbands.

We cannot leave this point without a word re-
specting that most detestable of popular vices, tobacco-
using. No young woman who has any appreciation
of the possible suffering she is likely to bring upon
herself, will consent to marry a man who is addicted
to the weed. A woman whose husband uses either
pipe or cigar, lives in a nicotine-poisoned atmosphere.
She derives from the narcotic none of the peculiar
solacing influence wrhich renders it so fascinating to
those who become accustomed to its use, though
obliged to inhale its nauseating fumes. We have
known wives who suffered more than tongue can de-
scribe during long years of intimate association with
men who had rendered themselves objects of drdad
and repugnance through their devotion to the vile
habit of tobacco-using. Let the young women of the
land say resolutely that they will marry no man who
is addicted to the use of the weed in any form, and
tobacco-using will soon become a thing of the past.
It is high time that the women of this- and all other
civilized nations should rise up en fnasse in opposition
to the tyranny of this barbarous and debasing habit.
Until some effort of this sort is made, the practice
will go on gaining victims from year to year, until

the man who does not carry a quid in his cheek, or a

310 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

pipe or cigar in his mouth, will be considered an odd-
ity. Indeed, such is almost the case at the present
day. The men who are not addicted to the uncleanly
practice in one form or another, are few and far be-
tween. But let the young women declare once for
all that they will have no man for a husband who
loves a vile weed better than he loves the woman
whom he wishes to make his wife, and we shall have
a reform at once.

4. He should be of suitable temperament. By
proper temperament we do not mean that the young
man who will make the best husband for a young
woman must be her exact counterpart in tempera-
ment, nor that he should be her opposite in this par-
ticular. What is necessary for mutual happiness is
that people who are to live together in the close
bonds of wedded life should be of such temperaments
as to be mutually agreeable to each other. The ad-
vice given by a somewhat noted writer on this sub-
ject, that exact counterparts should be selected as
partners for life, is exceedingly absurd and certain to
result badly if put in practice ; and the same may be
said of advice given by some phrenologists, that per-
sons of opposite temperament should be selected for
husband or wife. Neither similarity or oppositeness
should be sought for, but agreeableness. Sometimes
ft person will dislike exceedingly another individual
for a trait of character which is very prominent in
himself. Conceited people are of all others the most
likely to be disgusted wTith conceit when manifested
in other persons than themselves. The same is true
with reference to various other prominent traits, as

THE YOUNG LADY. 311

pride, jealousy, suspicion, etc. The so-called science
of phrenology has been greatly abused in the attempt
to make it a guide in the formation of life-partner-
ships. Nothing is more absurd than the supposition
that the adaptation of young men and young women
for each other can be decided by scrutinizing the
physiognomy or fumbling the cranium. A great
amount of mischief has been done by phrenologists
who have attempted to regulate matrimonial unions
according to their opinion of the bumps. The only
way in which mutual adaptation can be learned is by
acquaintance, which should be of such a character,
and carried on under such circumstances as to lead
the individuals to a correct and just estimate of each
others character. Ability, wealth, position in society,
good looks, brilliant prospects, — none of these good
aualities should be allowed to turn the scale against
an objectionable temperament, as an agreeable dis-
position in a husband will do more to contribute to
a wife's happiness than all other circumstances com-
bined.

5. May he be a Cousin ? — This question has
been much discussed, and numerous statistics have
been collected which, in the hands of one writer, es-
tablish the fact that the marriage of cousins is pretty
certain to result in idiotic progeny, while in the hands
of another writer statistics are made to tell a very
different story. Anyone who has ever attempted to
establish a point by appealing to statistics, is aware of
the fact that this sort of evidence can be made to
prove almost anything according to the desires or the
predilections of the investigator. It is now generally

312 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

conceded that the marriage of cousins is not likely to
result in any mental or physical defects in the chil-
dren, provided both parents are perfectly healthy ; but
it should be recollected that the blood-relationship of
individuals greatly increases the influence of an ob-
jectionable tendency in such a manner as to bring it
into activity in the offspring. In the second place, a
young woman should never marry her cousin without
making a careful investigation of the causes of death
of the relatives of both, back to the common ancestor,
gaining all possible information concerning the dis-
eases which have been most prominent in the family.
6. He should be of good morals and good reputa-
tion. The readiness with which young women form
alliances with young men whose society is avoided by
other young men who wish to retain their reputation
for respectability, is simply astounding; yet such
cases are of almost every day occurrence. Young
women will often place the most implicit confidence
in young men whose employers would not trust them
with a dollar, and whose reputation for virtue and
morality is one hundred per cent below par. A
young woman who really respects herself, and who
has any solicitude respecting her future happiness
and that of her family, will refuse to marry a man
who makes a mock of religion and sneers at morality,
who boasts of infidelity and makes light of sacred
things. A man who has none of the restraints of re-
ligion or morality to keep him in the path of virtue
and rectitude, cannot properly perform the duties of a
husband and father ; and no matter how earnest his
protestations of reform, he should be discarded, or

THE YOUNQ LADY. 313

held on probation until positive evidence of a genuine
reform are to be seen.

7. The prospective husband should be of propor-
tionate size ; that is, a very small woman should not
select a very large man for a husband, or vice versa.
The latter selection is'not very likely to be made, as
large women very seldom desire as husbands very
small men ; but small women are very apt to prefer
for husbands very tall and large men. Such a union
is physically improper and likely to entail on the wife
no small amount of physical suffering and increase the
dangers of child-birth many fold. There ought to be
physical as well as mental and moral adaptation be-
tween husband and wife.

Who Ought not to Marry. — A , young fwoman
who is herself subject to hereditary physical or men-
*tal disease or physical deformity of a serious char-
acter, ought to consider it her duty to refuse an offer
of marriage on this account. Of course an extreme
view must not be taken of this restriction. We do
not wish to exclude nine-tenths of the young women
from entering the marriage state ; but any disability
which is likely to be transmitted to children, or to
make the individual a life-long invalid, should be con-
sidered an insurmountable obstacle to marriage. A
young man may be wholly willing to accept an invalid
for a wife at the time of marriage, and may for a few
months or years remain reconciled to having his house
made a hoc;rital and to pay all his hard earnings to
the doctors ; but the time will come when this sort of
thing will be no longer enjoyed, and his affections
will be gradually weaned from the womrfn whom he

314 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

promised to love and cherish in health or disease,,
etc. Such a marriage will not be likely to be a happy-
one.

The idea which many women have, and which is
often encouraged by physicians, that marriage will ef-
fect a cure of various local affections to which the sex is
liable, should not be encouraged. The fact is that
marriage as a rule aggravates instead of mitigating
local diseases which may have become thoroughly es-
tablished before marriage. It is true that if a woman
is suffering with an anteflexion of the womb, the oc-
currence of pregnancy — which is not at all likely, as
as such women are generally sterile — will often
effect £, cure. But this is about the only class of
cases in which improvement as the result of marriage
may be looked for, and in these cases it is as likely
to prove detrimental as beneficial. We have met
a good many cases in which young women have been
sadly disappointed in the results of matrimony as a
curative means. Instead of gaining in health, they
have declined from the outset, and have found their
sufferings aggravated to such a degree as to render
life exceedingly wretched and miserable. A woman
ought to be enjoying the highest health when she vent-
ures to enter upon a sphere which will demand all the
vigor and vitality which she possesses or can command
to enable her to faithfully perform her imposed duties.
A " good-for-nothing " young woman has no right
to marry. A woman has a right to expect in a man
the qualifications of a good husband, such as will en-
able him to provide for his family the comforts of life
and the opportunities for culture required by their

THE YOUNG LADY. gl5

position in society. A young woman who is not her-
self by nature or education fitted to make a home
happy, to superintend or perform, if necessary, the
duties of a well regulated household, has no right to
impose herself upon any man as a fit person to become
his companion for life. The world is full of good-for-
nothing girls, as well as good-for-nothing young men, —
girls who have never been taught by their mothers the
simple arts of housewifery and who are as unprepared
as the merest child to take charge of the affairs of a
household. It is time that this good-for-nothingness
were looked upon as an evidence of unfitness for mar-
riage ; and it is to be hoped that public sentiment will
soon demand the institution of schools for instruction
in housewifery and the training of women to become
worthy and helpful wives.

A Word of Advice. — Some years ago on inquir-
ing why a certain estimable young woman had mar-
ried a most disagreeable and unworthy man, we were
answered that " She married him to get rid of him."
The young man pressed his suit with such unyielding
perseverance, even after he had been repeatedly re-
pulsed that the young lady weakly yielded as the easi-
est method by which to get rid of his importunities.
As might be expected almost from the very day when
her reluctant consent to be his wife was given, his
kind caresses ceased and the tyranny and ugliness of
temper which he manifested rendered her whole life
indescribably wretched. During the first few months
of marriage, when her eyes had become thoroughly
opened to the folly of her course and the dreadful
slavery to which she had bound herself, reason was

316 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

nearly dethroned ; but it was too late to correct the
fatal mistake. She had nothing to do but bear it
with as much calmness and patience as she couid sum-
mon. What could be expected other- than that the
offspring of such a union should receive the impress
of the mother's unhappy mental state ? In the case
referred to, the first-born, a son, possessed in many
respects marked ability ; but at an early age he man-
ifested peculiar traits of character which gradually be-
came more and more prominent until the will became
powerless to maintain the mental equilibrium, and
reason was dethroned. . This young man, notwith-
standing his natural abilities and thorough college
training, fitting him under ordinary circumstances for
a position of high usefulness, is to-day incarcerated
within the walls of an insane asylum with little or no
hope of recovery.

The folly of marrying a man to get rid of him
does not need further emphasis. This is the most im-
practicable of all methods of dismissing a disagreeable
suitor. A young woman who is not pleased with the
man who wishes to ask her hand in marriage, should
frankly and promptly tell him so, and if she is satis-
fied that there is no mutual adaptation, or that on
further acquaintance she will not be likely to change
her views, the dismissal should be final. The inter-
ests involved are too great to be trifled with, and no
young woman can afford to allow herself to be
" bullied " into a marriage with a man whom she does
not and cannot love.

Neither wealth, social position, nor any other
qualifications than those which pertain to the individ-

THE YOUNG LADY. 317

ual character should influence a woman in her selec-
tion of a husband. Women who marry for money
are sure, sooner or later, to be made most unhappy by
so doing. No woman can patiently bear the taunts
of having "married a man for money," year after
year, while she may be supposed to be waiting for
his decease so as to get entire control of the coveted
treasures.

Cases are not rare in which women marry "to
avoid becoming old maids." We cannot understand
why a woman should look forward with dread to a
life of celibacy more than a man, or at any rate, why
it should be so utterly abhorred that an alliance of
almost any sort should be considered preferable to it.
Perhaps the education of girls in the idea that the
condition of an old maid is one to be abhorred, is
chiefly responsible for the prevalance of this senti-
ment among young ladies. The ideal old maid is one
who is scrupulously neat in appearance, by most peo-
ple considered very nice, possibly somewhat prudish
in her notions of modesty and unwilling to place any
confidence in the opposite sex, but a very useful sort
of person in cases of illness, a ready worker in Sab-
bath-schools, home missions, and temperance organi-
zations, and in fact'on the whole, quite an indispensable
member of society. There is certainly nothing to be
abhorred in this, and a woman would better by far
be an old maid and die homeless and childless than
to live the life of wretchedness and unhappiness sure
to result from an ill-mated marriage.

Little Girls should not Marry. — We have al-
ready dwelt upon the importance of mature develop-

318 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

ment as a preparation for the marriage state, but we
wish to impress this fact again upon the minds of our
fair young readers as one of great importance. A
little girl is not prepared to select a husband, and is
not fit to become a wife. She cannot safely ignore the
laws of nature which demand that she should have
time for physical, mental, and moral development.
No circumstances whatever can justify a girl-marriage.
Such unions are pretty certain to turn out bad. Only
recently a case has come to our notice in which a girl
of fifteen ran away from home to live with a young
man of twenty to avoid meeting a step mother whom
her father was about to introduce into- his household.
She found out too late that the young man in whom
she had placed her confidence was a roue of the worst
stamp, his constitution being shattered by habits of
vice and dissipation, and at the time when she came
under our care as a patient her own system was thor-
oughly saturated with the venom of a foul disease.

Marriage is an institution for men and women, not
for boys and girls, and common sense would suggest
that a young man or young woman whose age is such
that the law does not recognize him or her as capable
of making a contract involving simply matters of tem-
poral interest, is wholly unfitted for making a contract
wrhich involves not only the present and future hap-
piness of himself and another, but may exert a bane-
ful influence to an incalculable extent over succeeding
generations.

The restrictions we have given respecting the age
at which marriage may be contracted, should be looked
upon as imperative. The limit placed is too low rather

THE YOUNG LADY. 319

than otherwise. Many girls are not fitted for mar-
riage by their mental or physical development before
the age of twenty-five or twenty-six. In fact, some
girls as well as some boys never become old enough
to marry, apparently remaining, mentally at least, in a
state of childhood.

Courting. — We have no intention of attempting
to point out in these paragraphs the exact manner in
which courtship should be conducted ; but we wish to
call attention to some of the evils which grow out of
the popular manner of conducting courtship. Court-
ing, as the word is generally understood in this
country, seems to be peculiar to America. In most
other countries, unmarried persons are by the laws of
custom and society forbidden to associate with such
unrestrained freedom as is customary in this country.
If a young woman in France should allow herself to
take long walks or rides with a man without some fe-
male companion, or even to visit places of amusement
or recreation, or to be shut up with him in a parlor or
sitting-room with the light turned down or wholly ex-
tinguished until the small hours of the night, her rep-
utation would be ruined. She would be looked upon
as a loose character, unfit to associate with respect-
able people. We do not pretend to say that chastity
is better preserved among the young women of France
than among American young women ; but we do know
that the unrestricted license allowed in the association
of young unmarried men and women presents the most
favorable opportunities for the lapses from virtue
which are altogether too common, more so than the
majority of persons would be willing to believe.

320 THE LADIES* QUIDS.

This is not our only objection to the popular
method of courting. The primary object of courtship
should be to allow the parties to become acquainted
with each other's characters so as to know whether or
not there exists such mutual adaptation as to make a
life partnership desirable or likely to be a happy one.
Courtships are not, however, usually conducted in
such a manner as to enable either party to arrive at
a just estimate of the character of the others The
conditions are made as artificial as possible. Each
endeavors by various artifices to appear in the most
attractive and advantageous light possible. The
whole experience is generally a series of shams from
beginning to end. Young people never really get
acquainted with each other until after they are mar-
ried. Then, divested of all pretense, the real charac-
ter appears in its true light, often to the great disap-
pointment of both parties.

Courtship should be conducted in such a manner
as to allow each to become acquainted with the other's
real character just as it will appear in every-day life.
It is the greatest folly imaginable for a young woman
to pass herself off for more than she really is, or to
attempt to sustain a character which she cannot
really maintain every day and month and year of her
life. The husband, if he is entangled by deception,
will sooner or later be undeceived, and then, whether
he owns it or not, his former admiration will be
turned to disgust and loathing. If a young woman
wishes to secure a really good husband, let her ap-
pear exactly as she is. Let her be perfectly natural
Then a man who is sufficiently pleased with her to

THE YOUNG LADY. 321

wish to make her his wife, willjbe likely to prove him-
self a kind and devoted husband, one on whom she
can lean with confidence during all the coming years.

Mothers should exercise careful supervision over
their daughters when they have reached an age
proper for marriage, and have begun to receive the
attentions of gentlemen friends. This is the time
above all others when a young woman ought to make
a confident of her mother, and mothers ought to treat
their daughters in such a manner as to win their con-
fidence and respect. The young women who marry
contrary to their parents' wishes and against their ad-
vice almost always regret having done so, and endure
life-long misery in consequence of the one false step.

But they are not always so much to blame as
their parents. A mother who has pursued the right
course with her daughter from early childhood to
maturity, will always hold her confidence, and can
exert so strong an influence over her as to be able to
mold her action, at least to a very great degree, at
this most important epoch of life.

The advice of a parent or friend of mature years
may be invaluable at this time, and a young woman
should never think of committing her happiness to the
keeping of any young man without first consulting
her mother or some other female friend competent to
give advice in case she has no mother to consult.

The habit of sitting up late at night during court-
ship is one which should be condemned and discoun-
tenanced. A young woman of proper age need not be
ashamed of the attentions of a young man worthy to
become her husband, and no attempt at concealment

322 TEE LADIES' GUIDE.

is necessary. Young people can judge of each other's
characters much better by daylight than lamplight.
We agree with an author of considerable experience
who suggests that courting can best be done by
young people when engaged in the e very-day duties
of life. Then there are good opportunities to judge
of each other's qualities and capabilities in the most
practical manner possible.

Flirting. — Every true man despises the fhxL A
young woman who trifles with the affections of young
men, purposely attracting their attention and display-
ing her charms in such a manner as to fascinate and
entangle their affections for the mere purpose of
amusement or to gratify an unholy pride or to rouse
the jealousies of some rival, is unworthy ever to be-
come the wife of a sincere and noble-minded man.
Such a woman's affections gradually wither and her
motives become depraved until she is utterly unfitted
to become a dutiful wife or a patient, sympathizing
mother.

THE SOCIEL EVIL •

This portion of our subject is one which we would
gladly avoid ; but we have a few words to say which
we think ought to be said, and which we may not
depend upon being said by any one else to the same
audience to which we wish to speak, and so we ad-
dress ourself to the subject, though with great reluc-
tance, with a sense of duty to be done regardless of
its unpleasantness.

Prostitution is an evil which is undoubtedly rap-

THE YOUNG LADY. 323

idly on the increase. This fact has become so notice-
able and the evil so alarming in its proportions, that
it has attracted the attention of many of the ablest
thinkers and students of social science in all civilized
lands. Considered in all its bearings, the subject is
a large one, and we shall not attempt to canvass it in
all its various phases, but only to note a few points
in connection with the question of causation and pre-
vention.

Some idea of the proportions of this monster evil
may be gathered from the statistics of the number of
fallen women and of the diseases which result
from prostitution. We are informed by a reliable
authority that there are at the present time no less
than 50,000 fallen women in England alone who are
devoted to a life of shame. The number of this class
in this country must be very much greater, even if
the proportion to the population is the same, which is
undoubtedly the case. It should be remembered also
that these figures do not give an adequate idea of
the extent of the vice, for the reason that there is
a very large class of lewd women known as " kept
mistresses," or whose lapses from virtue are known
only to themselves and their companions in sin, while
to the public they appear as respectable as their sis-
ters. This class in fact probably greatly exceeds in
numbers those who are known as common prostitutes.
Lax morals have become so common at the present day
that it is impossible to form an estimate of the extent
of the evil which we are considering. Its very nat-
ure causes those who are its victims to avoid publicity
in every way possible, and society has always endeav-

324 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

ored to hide its eyes from the foul ulcer festering in
its midst. But it is useless to ignore the evil simply
because it is loathsome and obnoxious to our moral
sense, for it will obtrude itself upon us in its most
disgusting forms and often when we least expect it in
spite of our aversion and disinclination to consider it.

Cases of the horrible diseases which result from
this vice are known to be rapidly on the increase. A
prominent sanitary officer of one of our large cities
affirms that not less than one-fifth of the entire popu-
lation of the city is tainted with venereal disease in
some form. If this is true of the city in question, it
is undoubtedly true of most other large cities on this
continent. There is good evidence for believing that
many of the cases of cancer and hopeless disease of
the heart, together with much of the scrofula and con-
sumption which the physician meets at every turn in
his daily rounds of practice, owes its existence to this
foul source if not in the sufferer, in a parent or grand-
parent. The most contagious form of venereal dis-
ease, syphilis, has become so common, as shown by
Dr. Gihon in a paper read by him at a late meeting of
the American Public Health Association, that it is
almost dangerous to travel abroad, so great is the
peril of contracting the disease. The closet of the
popular hotel or the palace car, the possibly unchanged
linen of the sleeping car or hotel, even the food pre-
pared by diseased cooks and served by diseased wait-
ers in hotels and restaurants, all afford possible oppor-
tunities for contracting a malady which may blight
several generations of human lives.

The influences which lead women to enter a life of

THE YOUNG LADY. 325

shame are varied and numerous. We shall not at-
tempt to consider them all nor even to mention them ;
but wish to call attention to a few of the influences of
this sort which we think are not understood as they
should be, or are at least greatly underestimated. And
first we wish to note the feet that the whole tendency
of modern fashionable life is in the highest degree
calculated to stimulate the development of the emo-
tional nature, which leads directly to the exaggeration
of the propensities, and none more than those con-
nected with reproduction. The cultivation of the
" esthetic " at the expense of the practical, and the
devotion to the thousand and one nothings which
make up the sum total of a fashionable woman's life,
are by no means conducive to the growth of purity
and the repression of the animal instincts. With an
untrained mind, that is, one which has not cultivated
self-control and the habit of making a careful analysis
of the feelings, one emotion is often converted into an-
other seemingly wholly unlike and incombatible with
the first. The cultivation of the emotional nature at
the expense of the reasoning faculties is on this ac-
count a most serious error. Theater-going, novel-
reading, dancing, attendance at fashionable parties,
flirtation, and a variety of other practices exceedingly
common in the life of the average young lady, are the
means by which the moral sense becomes depraved
and the character so unbalanced as to break down the
barriers to unchastity, and open the way for the en-
croachments of the tempter.

The courting customs of American young people

we regard as directly opposed to the interests of fe-

326 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

male virtue- The conditions are often such as not
only to allow of temptation to depart from the path
of virtue, but to directly stimulate the passions in the
highest degree and thus destroy the power to resist
temptation should it come. *

The looseness in the associations of the sexes we
regard one of the most prolific of all the predisposing
as well as exciting causes of vice, and this is partic-
ularly true of the unreserved maimer in which young
people of the opposite sex associate during oourtship.
Often have we seen a young woman whose course had
previously been in every respect unexceptional, rap-
idly deteriorate under the influence of a courtship
conducted in the manner referred to. We will not
dwell farther upon this point in this comtection, how-
ever, as we shall take occasion to refer to it at length
elsewhere in this work.

Womanly modesty is a quality which is becoming
quite too rare. The manners of the times are such
as to abolish the reserve and modesty so characteristic
of maidenhood in olden times. A bashful girl is much
more difficult to find now-a-days than was the case a
quarter of a century ago. Children, girls especially,
are too early accustomed to publicity, and are led to
believe that bashfulness is a sin next to falsehood or
theft. A certain forwardness of manner is becoming ex-
ceedingly prevalent among young girls. By many, this
trait is considered an evidence of smartness, and is
encouraged ; to our mind, it is a most alarming indi-
cation of threatened, if not actual, deterioration in
woman of those qualities upon the preservation of
which depends the maintenance of virtue and purity.

THE YOUNG LADY. 327

This matter is one which should receive the ear-
nest attention of mothers, teachers, and all who have
to do with the education of girls. The old-fashioned
modesty and innocent simplicity of manner must be
presented as the pattern to be followed instead of the
bold and flippant style of bearing so exceedingly com* .
mon among the girls of the present day. A retiring
tfind reserved manner is one of the very best safe-
guards to virtue, and woman cannot afford to dispense
with so important an aid to purity in the nineteenth
century better than in generations past tfnd gone.

Mothers should check in their daughters the very
first manifestations of a tendency to boldness of man-
ner, and should carefully shield them from the influ-
ence of those who exhibit this unfortunate trait.

-The dangerous idea is becoming prevalent that
young women as well as young men may " sow their
wild oats " without committing any very great crime,
providing their sin is not found out. Thousands of
those who with this idea in their minds yield to the
promptings of passion, would not for a moment enter-
tain a thought of entering upon a life of vice. They
have too much respect for themselves and for their
friends to allow them to choose such a course. They
have read so much of the departures from virtue, in
the public prints and the fashionable literature of the
day in which the transgression is often pictured in
such colors as to arouse and stimulate a prurient cu-
riosity to the highest degree, that, with favoring cir-
cumstances, they are unprepared to resist a strong
temptation to yield "just once" to the promptings of
the lower nature, thoroughly expecting to return im-

328 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

mediately to the path of virtue and to make no fur-
ther digressions. But the barrier once broken downr
cannot be so easily erected again. When a woman
has once allowed the bulwark of modesty to be in-
vaded, she has no longer any defense.

Purity once gone, is gone forever. A mind once
sullied with vice is marred forever. Even in eternity
will remain some reminder of the sin, though thorough
and bitter repentance may have saved the victim of
impurity from eternal ruin.

Men have been charged with being principally re-
sponsible for the fall of young women from the path
of virtue. There is no doubt that thousands of young
women are enticed into sin by the promise of mar-
riage, and on finding themselves deserted by the
heartless wretches who have accomplished their ruin,
disowned by their friends, and outcasts from society,
in despair enter upon a life of shame as a means of
gaining a livelihood ; but we believe that this is by
no means the most common way in which the ranks
of the denizens of the demi-monde are recruited. The
assertion is made by those who have made a careful
investigation of the personal history of a large num-
ber of these unfortunate creatures that a very small
proportion of them are led astray by men under prom-
ise of marriage. There is no doubt that men are in-
strumental in leading them to ruin in a vast number
of cases ; but the evidence is very strong that these
unfortunate creatures are in the majority of cases led
astray by their own depraved and uncontrolled im-
pulses. A young woman whose mind is pure and
free from unhallowed desires is perfectly safe from

THE YOUNG LADY. 329

temptation in this direction. Such a person would
detect and instantly repel the very first advances of
an impure character. The young women who fall
easy prey to the snares of rakes and libertines are
those whose minds have been filled with sinful
thoughts, and who have not subdued the first begin-
nings of impulses which, meeting no restraint, have
grown to be almost uncontrollable.

Vile men offer the opportunity for sin, but the
real cause of transgression on the part of a young
woman who falls from virtue is the previous prepara-
tion of her own mind for such a step through the
demoralizing influence of impure thoughts. The
conversion of evil thoughts into evil acts is only a
question of time and opportunity. A mind accus-
tomed to think of sin comes to look upon it as desir-
able, and loses all appreciation of its hideousness and
its consequences. The change from innocence to
guilt, from purity to vice, is not a sudden transition.
The work of ruin is not accomplished by one fatal
plunge, but by little departures, small harborings of
sinful thoughts, until the mind becomes defenseless
against the encroachments of sin.

Purity of life depends upon purity of mind ; and
the only way to secure the first is by the cultiva-
tion of the second. A mind left to revel in voluptu-
ousness will sooner or later lead the possessor to
overt acts of sin unless the restraint of circumstances
is more than ordinarily strong ; and even if this is not
the case, the baleful influence of the mental vice will
be indelibly stamped upon the physical as well aa
the mental character of the individual, giving rise to
positive and even incurable disease.

330 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

While it is true that the seducer is usually a maley
this is by no means always the case. Not very long
ago a young man came under our care for treatment
for epilepsy of a very peculiar type which was evi-
dently the result of sexual abuse. The patient as-
serted that he had never practiced the habit of mas-
turbation, but admitted that he had been guilty of
other sexual excesses, and when closely questioned
confessed to a degree of abandonment to his passions
which was scarcely credible. His confessions were
made with the tears streaming down his face ; and his
evident sincerity left no room to doubt his statement
that he was led into sin by a neighbors hired girl who
was several years his senior, when he was but four-
teen years of age.

Such cases as the above are undoubtedly excep-
tional; but they do not unfairly represent the part
which is often acted by girls and young women in in-
viting their own ruin and accomplishing that of young
men who might otherwise have remained pure. We
refer to the loose conduct and " gushing " manners to
which many girls are addicted. The want of proper
restraint and reserve in their intercourse with boys
and young men, and the liberties and familiarities
which they not only allow but invite, and which are
tolerated by the customs of society, are in the highest
degree calculated to stimulate the passions of young
men and to lead them to lose respect for the sanctity
and purity of maidenhood, and to believe that young
ladies whose manner is such as referred to will be
only too willing to accede to them any favor they
may ask. While we are willing that young men

THE YOUNG LADY. 331

should be charged with a large share of the lapses
from virtue on the part of girls and young women, we
feel confident that no young woman who conducts
herself with proper reserve and modesty toward the
opposite sex is in the slightest danger of injury from
this source. The only way to reform young men is
to raise the standard of conduct among young women.

After all, the only safeguard for virtue is religion.
The young women as well as the young men of the
land cannot afford to get along without the religion of
Christ, which offers help to the weak and tempted,
and provides a way of escape from every snare and
temptation ; and most of all enables an individual to
obtain a victory over himself or herself, and by its
calming and purifying influence subdues the passions
and cleanses the mind from impurity and sensuality.
The best prescription we can make for a person whose
tendencies are naturally in a downward direction is to
get " pure and undefiled religion." Nothing else is so
good an antidote for sensuality. When beset with
impure images and unhallowed desires, fly to some
secluded spot, and on bended knees send up to Heaven
a petition for help from the Mighty One who is " able
to save to the uttermost those who come unto him."

One more suggestion we would make. Physical
exercise of a vigorous character exerts a most salu-
tary influence upon the mind which is beset with pru-
rient thoughts. Really vigorous muscular work has a
remarkably refrigerating influence upon the passions,
and ought to be systematically engaged in by those
who find themselves obliged to wage a constant war-
fare with impure thoughts. Exercise should be taken

332

THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

to the extent of real fatigue, and will be found bene-
ficial in many other ways than that for which it is
suggested. If young ladies were brought up to work
as their grandmothers were, there would be far less
need for books of this character, and the army of out-
casts from society which now infests every city in the
land and is pouring out into the life blood of the race
a horrible stream of death, deformity, and disease,
would receive a much smaller number of recruits.

The Wife.

lARRIAGE is an institution of divine ordi-
nation, having its origin in Eden, the birth-
place of the race. The duties and respon-
sibilities of a wife are in no way second to
those of her husband. Her sphere of use-
fulness is necessarily different from his, but
it is in no way secondary in importance.
The true wife may exert an influence upon
her husband and through him upon society
which may determine the destiny of na-
tions. Many a man who has risen to greatness has
been proud to acknowledge that the real credit of his
grandest achievements was as much or more due to
his wife than to himself. The Wise Man has well
said, " Who can find a virtuous woman ? for her price
is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth
safely trust in her. She will do him good and not
evil all the days of her life."

The responsibilities and dignity of wifehood is in
recent times altogether too little respected. Too often
a wife is regarded simply as an ornament for the par-
lor or a manager of the housekeeping. Even women
themselves are prone to take this narrow view of their
sphere of usefulness. A woman who really appreci-

[333]

334 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

ates the importance of her position as a wife, the op-
portunity for powerful influence which she enjoys,
and the grave responsibilities which devolve upon
her, will not complain that her sphere of usefulness
is not as broad and her mission as high and sacred as
she can desire. Among the women of the day who
are calling for a higher and broader usefulness for
woman, are two distinct classes : one is earnestly
seeking to lead women to see and comprehend the
true import of their mission as wives and mothers,
and to appreciate the fact of the momentous responsi-
bilities which grow out of their ability to shape the
destinies of the race ; another class, ignoring this nat-
ural and important field of work for woman, is clam-
oring for a place for her outside the order of nature.
We have no objection to granting to woman the same
freedom of action wThich is enjoyed by man. We are
decidedly in favor of doing so ; but at the same time
we most profoundly hope that any effort which has
for its object the diversion of woman from her proper
and natural sphere will not be attended with success.

But we have to deal chiefly with the physical re-
lations of wifehood, and our limited space forbids ttu.t
we should enter largely into the discussion of topics
which do not bear upon this in the most direct man-
ner. Lot us then inquire respecting

The Import of Marriage. — Many a young woman
enters upon the marriage relation without the faintest
idea of the character of the new duties, dangers, and
responsibilities which she has assumed. The revela-
tion made to her is often a very different picture from
that which her fancy has sketched ; and the contrast

THE WIFE. 336

between the real and the ideal is often so great that
it is not to be wondered at that so many soon become
discontented with their lot. We consider it of the
greatest importance that young women should be
thoroughly informed of the nature of the relations
which they are to assume in marriage before entering
upon its obligations. Mothers are almost universally
remiss in their duty to their daughters in this regard.
Many mothers seem to regard it a sort of virtue in
their daughters that they are wholly ignorant of the
import of marriage and its duties, and purposely keep
them in ignorance, repressing in them any desire to
acquire knowledge on the subject. Such a course we
regard as criminally foolish, and the result of a per-
verted education on the part of the mothers of the
present generation. Not until women come to look
upon marriage as a sacred and divine institution, and
themselves illuminate and glorify it by developing
through its means a nobler and higher type of man-
hood and womanhood, and not until mothers come to
accept and fully comprehend the fact that all physio-
logical knowledge is in itself pure and chaste, can we
hope to see any great reform in the direction indi-
cated ; and so we have written this chapter for the
purpose of contributing in a small degree to the at-
tainment of this end.

As previously stated, the prime object of marriage
as an institution, considered from a physiological
stand-point, is procreation, or the perpetuation of the
species. The full significance of this physiological
fact has been sufficiently hinted in the introductory
portion of this work. On this subject every woman

336 THE LADIES GUIDE.

should have full and reliable information before en-
tering the marriage relation. Mothers should not
think that because they were ignorant, their daughters
should be equally so. Thousands of women might
have saved themselves from life-long suffering had
th^y received the proper instruction at the right time.
The old adage, " Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly
to be wise," does not apply to this kind of knowledge,
imparted at the proper time ; the lack of such knowl-
edge is one of the most prolific sources of danger to
which a woman can be exposed.

The Hygiene of Marriage. — At no period of a
woman's life is the observance of the requirements
of laws relating to health of greater importance than
at the beginning of married life. At this time a new
set of functions is brought inio activity which sustain
a most important relation to other of the bodily func-
tions. These functions involve the most profound
agitation of the system and the most lavish expendi-
ture of nervous energy of which the body is capable.
It is evident, then, that all should not be left to in-
stinct, but that reason should be made the umpire,
and its verdicts be regarded final. The set of organs
which after marriage are for the first time brought
into legitimate activity, are highly sensitive, and be-
ing subjected to excitements of an unusual character
are exceedingly liable to take on inflammation. We
have met scores of cases in which the most distress-
ing and obstinate maladies had originated with the
excesses of the first few weeks of married life. Self-
control at this time on the part of both husband and
wife is of the utmost consequence. Many times have

THE WIFE. 337

we been told by women who had suffered more than
words could describe for many years, " I have never
been a well- woman since the night of my marriage."
This sort of an introduction to a divine and sacred in-
stitution is not in accordance with the dictates of
reason or morality. At this time of all others, the
stormy passions should be kept at bay. If her hus-
band is disposed to disregard the dictates of reason
and common sense, either through ignorance or the
promptings of passion, the wife should not hesitate to
make known to him her wishes, and the man is too
much of a brute to be worthy of the love and respect
of a virtuous woman who will not regard the desires
of the woman whom he has promised to love and pro-
tect. The most heroic battle which many a man can
fight is to protect his wife from his own lustful pas-
sions. Every young wife should know that it is her
duty as well as her privilege to protect herself from
the possible causes of life-long suffrring. It is no
woman's duty to surrender herself soul and body to
her husband simply because he has promised to " love
and protect her."

The beginning as well as the full fruition of phys-
iological marriage is accompanied by a more or less
considerable amount of suffering on the part of the
wife. This is in part due to the highly sensitive
character of the mucous surfaces, and in part to the
presence of the hymen. The rupture of the latter
membrane is often accompanied by a slight hemor-
rhage which was in ancient times considered as a
proof of virginity, though it is now very well known
to be unreliable as a test of previous chastity, since it

338 THE LADIE& GUIDE.

is frequently absent naturally, or may be obliterated
or ruptured by other means, or may be so imperfectly
developed or so dense in its structure that no rupture
occurs. It should be borne in mind, however, that it
is not only possible for such a rupture to take place,
but that undue violence may give rise to a dangerous
and even fatal hemorrhage, or to an equally danger-
ous inflammation. A few years ago we had under
treatment a case in which an inflammation was thus
produced which required months of treatment to sub-
due. The use of warm sitz baths or sponging with
quite warm water and the local application of un-
guents of various sorts will serve in a great measure
to prevent as well as relieve suffering from this cause ;
but moderation and self-restraint are the most service-
able of all precautions. If any considerable degree
of irritation is set up, especially if attended by severe
pain in the pelvis, across the lower part of the back
and bowels, or by fever, entire rest should be insisted
upon for several days. Fomentations should be ap-
plied across the bowels, and vaginal injections of hot
water should be administered every three or four
hours. The bowels, if constipated, should be relieved
by a warm enema. These are the very best means of
preventing serious inflammation and of treating an in-
flammation which has already begun. The only ap-
paratus required is a common wash tub or a tin sitz-
bath tub, and a good syringe. For the latter we
recommend the syphon syringe, which excels all
others in simplicity, efficiency, and durability. It is
also automatic in action, requiring no attention while
in use. Valve or piston syringes are unreliable. By

THE WIFE. 339

the adoption of these simple measures of treatment
at the very outset, even at the cost of considerable
inconvenience, a chronic leucorrhoea, uterine inflam-
mation or congestion, or a possibly fatal pelvic cellulitis
may in nineteen cases out of twenty be prevented.

In rare cases, an imperforate or thickened hymen
presents an obstacle to the consummation of marriage
which should receive attention from a competent sur-
geon at an early date, before inflammation has been
provoked.

Wedding Journeys. — The fashionable custom of
taking a journey immediately after marriage is not
altogether to be commended. The young wife needs
at this time rest and care such as cannot often be
commanded among strangers, at least when being
rapidly hurried from place to place, stopping at hotels,
or at fashionable watering-places, or popular pleasure
resorts. The exposures and excesses of a wedding
journey have cost more than one young bride her life,
and in hundreds of cases have laid the foundation of
disease which has for years baffled the skill of the
most experienced and sagacious physicians. We feel
that too much cannot be said in condemnation of this
absurd fashion, and do not miss an opportunity to coi>-
demn it.

Excesses. — We regard it of the utmost impor-
tance that plain words should be spoken on the impor-
tant subject of marital excesses. The popular suppo-
sition seems to be that any amount of indulgence of
the passions is made permissible by the marriage cer-
emony. No view could be more erroneous. Consid-
ered from a physiological stand-point, and we think

340 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

from a moral stand-point as well, there is as great an
amount of violation of sexual law within the marriage
pale as without. Unbridled lust is sin under all cir-
cumstances; and however man may wink at these
transgressions of law, Nature does not omit to enter
a protest against them and to visit upon the trans-
gressors a sure retribution. The results of marital
excesses are to be seen everywhere in the rapid de-
cline in health of newly married women, and the
crowds of ladies of all ages from the young wife whose
honey-moon is scarcely ended to the grey haired wo-
man who has passed her climacteric, who frequent the
offices of the popular gynecologists in our large cities,
are to a large extent the victims of sexual transgres-
sion. Unfortunately, in the majority of cases, the fault
lies elsewhere than at the door of the victim. We
have spoken plainly on this point elsewhere. Women
have long been taught that it is their duty to submit
uncomplainingly to the will of their husbands, espe-
cially in matters of this sort, and in obedience to this
teaching, and in ignorance of the consequences, or of
their duty to themselves, they have allowed them-
selves to be made the victims of lust, by which they
have had entailed upon them sufferings grievous to be
borne. No man has a right to prostitute his wife to
the mere gratification of a selfish propensity. With
the wife rests the gravest responsibilities of the repro-
ductive act, and with her should rest the responsibil-
ity of saying when she will incur the risk of her life
in giving birth to a new being.

Many a woman is by her marriage vow introduced
to a slavery far more galling and vastly more aebas-

THE WIFE. 341

ing than that which cost this nation years of civil war
and hundreds of thousands of lives to abolish. The
great majority of sufferers keep their troubles wholly
secret, knowing that they have little sympathy to ex-
pect from those who believe this to be the proper lot
of woman, — a burden imposed upon her by the curse ;
but now and then a woman's sufferings become too
great to be longer borne in silence, and the facts come
to the surface. It is high time that there was a
change of public sentiment in reference to this matter.
Of all the rights to which a woman is entitled, that of
the custody of her own body is the most indubitable.

We know that there are circumstances which com-
plicate this question to such a degree as to make it
difficult for a wife to decide what her duty is in any
given case. We cannot lay down any rule to be fol-
lowed without exceptions ; but we do not hesitate to
express what we believe to be the broad grounds on
which the principles of human individuality and re-
sponsibility rest, leaving for each woman to decide for
herself what her duty may be in any particular case.

A Suggestion from Nature. — The question as
to what must be considered excess, is not so easily
answered as asked. There are numerous questions
involved in the consideration of the subject which we
have not space even to notice in this connection. We
shall simply call attention to a few facts which point
with unmistakable clearness to the design of nature.

In many species of lower animals the reproductive
act is performed only at certain periods for which a
physiological preparation has taken place by the de-
velopment simultaneously of the reproductive organs

342 THE LADIB& GUIDE.

in both sexes. This development occurs at certain
periods only, the organs being during the interval in
a state of inactivity. This is particularly noticeable
in fishes, reptiles, and in certain species of birds. It
is not, however, confined to these animals, as the
same periodicity in the development to activity of the
reproductive functions is observed in many species of
mammals, especially those which produce young but
once a year, as the deer, the wolf, and the fox. In the
case of other animals which produce several broods a
year, the sexual organs of the male are most of the
time in the condition of development required for their
physiological activity.

It seems to be the universal law of nature that
the condition and desires of the female shall determine
the time for activity of the reproductive functions.
The females of most animals resolutely resist the ad-
vances of the males except at such times as the re-
productive act may be properly and fruitfully per-
formed. May we not pertinently inquire whether it
is not probable that the much greater degree of
erethism of the sexual organs observed in man than
in lower animals — with few exceptions — is not the
direct result of a wrong course of life continued
through a long series of years, particularly the stim-
ulating articles of food which have been for years
becoming more and more generally used ? We do not
doubt that the free use of animal food has had a very
marked influence in this direction. The direct effect
of animal food, when largely used, is to increase the
excitability of the nervous system, and to induce a
condition of the nervous system in the highest degree

THE WIFE. 343

calculated to produce just such a result. This fact is
very generally recognized by physiologists who have
for many years claimed that the liberal use of animal
food is necessary for human beings in order to secure
the perpetuation of the species. If this suggestion is
worthy of greater weight than a mere suggestion, it
is important that it should be made of practical value
as a means of enabling those who recognize the evils
of unrestrained indulgence of the passions to attain
the self-control necessary to enable them to obey the
dictates of their own conscience and the plain teach-
ings of nature.

Suggestions to Wives who Desire Children. —
We have often been consulted by women who greatly
desired children, but had remained childless during
several years of married life. We have often been
able to make to such would-be mothers suggestions
which have been of value to them. We do not intend
to consider here the subject of sterility, as this condi-
tion will be considered quite fully elsewhere in this
work ; we wish simply to call attention to the fact
that certain conditions are more favorable to concep-
tion than others, and to point out a few of the most
important for the benefit of those who may earnestly
desire children.

It is well known to physiologists that fecundation
and development are much more likely to follow sexual
union occurring either just before or just after the
menstrual period. During the menstrual period the
ovum is matured, but it is not discharged from the
generative passages of the female until after the pe-
riod of menstruation is passed. The ovum is usually

344 THE LADIE& GUIDE.

retained for several days, and during this time fecun-
dation may occur. As it is very probable that fecun-
dation takes place in the fallopian tubes, it is possible
that seminal fluid received in the passages of the fe-
male several days before the menstrual period, may be
retained until the ovum is discharged from the ovary
and comes in contact with it, thus securing its fecunda-
tion. It is a well-known fact that the spermatozoa
of the seminal fluid will retain their vitality for several
days in the fluids of the female generative passages.
It may be laid down as a rule then that conception is
much more likely to occur as the result of a union
during the week preceding or the week following
menstruation. An acute observer who has made a
careful investigation of the subject asserts that in all
but six or seven per cent of all pregnancies, conception
occurs within this period. This same fact is also ob-
served in lower animals in a marked degree.

Another circumstance which favors conception is
rest after sexual congress. Women who do not con-
ceive readily, frequently find themselves able to be-
come pregnant by observing this rule ; and the custom
practiced by some women of dancing, lifting, riding
horseback, or engaging in vigorous exercise of some
other sort for the purpose of preventing conception is
verj: well known. In some temperaments uterine
contractions are very easily excited by physical ef-
fort of any kind, and hence absolute repose for a few
hours after is necessary to secure a fruitful union.

The popular faith in various substances supposed
to favor conception and in various trivial circumstances
relating to the nature and position of the bed, etc.,

THE WIFE. 345

have no scientific basis. The too frequent repetition
of the sexual act is a common cause of sterility.

We have not the space here to discuss the various
causes of sterility, but would suggest that in case the
simple suggestions made are not productive of the de-
sired result, the barren woman should consult some
competent physician for a careful examination. There
are a great variety of causes which may prevent con-
ception which may be remedied either by proper
medical treatment or by a surgical operation. Those
of these which may be removed by treatment at
home or without the aid of a physician will be fully
discussed in the section devoted to the diseases of
women.

The Limitation of Offspring. — This is not the
proper place for the discussion of the propriety of the
limitation of offspring and the various problems which
the question involves. Malthus and other writers
have dwelt upon this theme exclusively and have pro-
posed various theories and plans by which to accom-
plish the desired end. • We have no theory to sus-
tain or any original plan to suggest, but will call
attention to a few physiological facts which have an
important bearing on the subject. Whatever may be
said with reference to the injury to the race which
might result from a systematic employment of meas-
ures for the limitation of offspring, it cannot be ques-
tioned that there are circumstances under which, for
the individual at least, this becomes very desirable.
We may add, also, that there are circumstances under
which the prevention of offspring is quite as desirable
for posterity as for the parents. The fact that

346 THE LADIES' GUIBE.

there is a real necessity for some means by which the
number of children may be restricted is at least sug-
gested by the almost universal resort to some means
for this purpose, often, as we shall show, means of a
most injurious character.

The following may be considered as justifiable rea-
sons for avoidance of offspring : 1. Ill health on the
part of either parent ; 2. Mental disease on the part
of either father or mother ; 3. Habits of intemperance
or the opium-habit indulged to any degree on the
part of either parent ; 4. Deformity on the part of the
mother, making childbirth dangerous to her own life ;
5. Congenital deformity on the part of either parent
when serious in character ; 6. Hereditary mental dis-
ease not manifested in the parents but appearing in
the children, as when the results of several successive
conceptions have been insane or idiotic ; 7. Lastly we
mention poverty as one of the circumstances which
may make it proper and desirable that the number of
children should be limited.

We regard the notion that it is a woman's duty to
bear as many children as possible during the child-
bearing period of her life, as a relic of a barbarous age.
Equally barbarous and more cruel is the disposition
so marked in modern times, especially in fashionable
women, to avoid bearing children at all hazard, regard-
less of the consequences to present or future health
or happiness. It can certainly be no advantage to
the world that persons who are too poor to be able to
care for their children properly should bring into the
world a large number of offspring to become paupers,
vagabonds, and ultimately, in a great proportion of

THE WIFE. 347

cases, criminals. Neither is it any advantage to
either the race or the individuals that persons of de-
praved or diseased constitutions should add to the
number of diseased and decrepit human beings trans-
mitting their physical or mental imperfections to their
offspring.

The most natural method of limiting offspring is
the avoidance of the reproductive act when its full
fruition is considered undesirable. No other method
can be considered perfectly physiological ; but weak
human nature will seldom submit to the self-denial
and restraint and control of the passions which this
would necessitate, although now and then individuals
may be found who are determined to keep in the or-
der of nature at any cost, preferring the peace of mind
and the satisfaction afforded by a conscience void of
offense toward Nature or Nature's God to the moment-
ary pleasure afforded by the gratification of an ani-
mal passion. Such persons are generally looked
upon as fanatics or victims of a self-imposed martyr-
dom ; but an enlightened mind looks upon such indi-
viduals as examples of a heroism equal if not superior
to that required for death at the stake or before the can-
non's mouth. A man or woman who can fully eman-
cipate himself or herself from " the passions' vengeful
reign," has accomplished a work greater than the man
who has led an army to victory or conquered a world.
Alexander the Great was able to vanquish all his foes,
and stood the proud monarch of the world ; but he
was of all men the most abject slave to his passions,
descending to the very lowest depths of beastly deg-

348 THE LADIES GUIDE.

radation for the purpose of gratifying his jaded pas-
sions.

Those who are not prepared to accept the teach-
ings of nature on this subject, if willing to submit to
partial control only, may in part attain the desired
end, although it must be frankly admitted that no
perfect substitute can be offered for the total-absti-
nence method for controlling the number of offspring.
As stated in the introductory portion of this work,
and also hinted in the preceding paragraphs of this
section, there is a period of several days in the inter-
menstrual period during which conception is much
less likely to occur than at other times. This period
begins at about the tenth day after the close of the
catamenia, and continues until about one week pre-
vious to the beginning of the next menstrual period.
Allowing five days for the continuance of the men-
strual period, there remain six days out of each
menstrual month during which a woman is not likely
to conceive. We have known of many instances in
which the knowledge of this fact and the practice of
the degree of self-control which it necessitates has
enabled persons whose circumstances were such as to
make offspring undesirable, to avoid children for
years.

It must not be supposed, however, that this rem-
edy is a perfectly reliable one. There are various
circumstances which make it unreliable, a few of
which we will state. 1. Menstruation occurs in
many cases in less than four weeks, or twenty-eight
days, thus shortening the period during which there
is no ovum present in the womb or fallopian tubes

THE WIFE. 349

ready for fecundation. A shortening of the period
one week would of course obliterate the period. 2.
There are exceptions to the general rule that one
ovum is expelled before another is sufficiently ma-
tured to allow fecundation to take place. As previ-
ously stated, six or seven per cent of all conceptions
occur during the period in which most women are ex-
empt. Consequently, it appears that at least one
woman in every fourteen is not exempt from the lia-
bility to conceive at any time. 3. The act of coitus
hastens the maturation of the ovum so that a sexual
union during the period of usual exemption may be-
come fruitful by the early maturation of another
ovum, the seminal fluid being retained in an active
condition until fecundation can take place.

Notwithstanding the imperfect reliability of the
above means of preventing conception, it is the only
one which can be considered at all consistent with
physiological principles except absolute continence.
Even this, as we have elsewhere shown, is not strictly
physiological, since the period immediately following
menstruation is that in which the sexual act is most
normal and most likely to be followed by conception.

The introduction of sponges into the vagina, the
wearing of womb veils, shields, etc., for the purpose
of preventing the normal result of the union of the
sexes, are none of them wholly reliable, and all are
injurious in character. The same must be said of the
common practice of incomplete union and the still
worse practice of injecting into the vagina cold water
or fluids of various kinds for the purpose of destroy-
ing the seminal fluid. While there may be a differ-

350 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

ence in the evil results following the employment of
these several methods, none are sufficiently harmless
to allow of their continued use without imperiling the
health of the wife, and in most cases the health of
the husband as well We have met hundreds of cases
of severe disease of the womb in which the chief cause
of the abnormal condition of the pelvic organs was the
continuance of some of these practices for a course of
years. We have no doubt that the congestions and
irritation of the sensitive nerves of the parts arising
from these various filthy maneuvers, practiced for
the purpose of subverting the natural processes, are
among the most common cause of malignant disease
of the uterus, one of the most common and fatal of
all the serious maladies to which the sex is subject,
and one which is constantly becoming more and more
frequent.

Another thing which is to be said with reference
to the various means referred to is that none of them
can be relied upon as certainly effective. Nature will
frequently assert her sway in getting the start of the
finest calculations to prevent such a result. Then the
mother is obliged to carry in her bosom that most un-
fortunate of all creatures, an unwelcome child. Her
mind filled with chagrin and dread, and perhaps even
with hatred of the innocent cause of her troubles, the
mother transmits to her offspring the most unhappy
traits of character and thus entails upon the little in-
nocent a life of wretchedness and misery. When
such mothers find that the means taken to prevent
conception have been ineffectual, they often do not
hesitate to adopt other means for the purpose of get-

THE WIFE. 351

ting rid of the embryo at the earliest possible mo-
ment, adding a still more heinous sin to the one
already committed. Often enough have we been
consulted by women under precisely these circum-
stances, and beset with importunities to aid them in
accomplishing the desired end. But we need not
speak further on this point at the present, as it will
presently receive ample attention.

A woman who allows herself to indulge in the
practices referred to, soon loses all respect for the sa-
credness of the maternal function, and suffers not only
physical but mental and moral injury more than can
be estimated. By means of these subterfuges, the
sexual act becomes in no way better than self-abuse,
and the results are practically the same as of that hid-
eous vice, in both parties.

Criminal Abortion. — The practice of abortion is
one of the most revolting crimes which has ever be-
come prevalent in any country at any period of the
world's history. The pages of history are stained
with the records of this most despicable of crimes.
The records of the civil laws of ancient nations show
that this crime has been prevalent in all ages and
among all nations. At some periods it has been even
more prevalent than it is at the present. Strange as
it may appear, there have in ancient times been found
philosophers and great teachers, some of whom are re-
spected even at the present day, who have justified
this crime and recommended it as a means of limiting
the growth of population. Aristotle not only did
this, but even went so far as to insist that it was the
duty of the State to enact laws enforcing the practice

352 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

of abortion when the population had reached a certain
state. The ancient Grecians and Romans had no law
against this crime. Numerous historians represent
the practice as almost universal in ancient times.
History records that a niece of one of the Roman
Emperors died in consequence of having committed
the crime in obedience to the command of the em-
peror. The crime seems to have been looked upon by
a large part of those nations who were guilty of it in
ancient times very much as excesses in eating are re-
garded by the majority of persons at the present day,
undoubtedly wrong, but so slightly criminal as to be
easily condoned, and scarcely to be censured.

In modern times there have not been wanting
apologists for this horrible crime ; but on the whole
it may be safely asserted that there is less tolerance
for ante-natal murder at the present day than at any
previous period of the world's history, so far as there
is any record bearing on the subject. We do not
attribute this improvement to any special increase in
the moral sense of the people, but to the greater en-
lightenment which has resulted from the free discussion
of the subject and the diffusion of knowledge respect-
ing the wickedness of the act and the dangers to life
and health attending it. It is only with the hope
that we may be able to further the work of reform in
this direction that we mention the revolting subject
in these pages.

The prevalence of this crime even in this enlight-
ened country, and that after all which has been said
upon it by physicians and priests and clergymen, un-
doubtedly far surpasses the conception of any but

THE WIFE. 353

those who have an opportunity for knowing the facts
or an approximation to the truth. The crime is al-
most always a secret one, and hence no exact data
respecting its prevalence can be obtained ; but suffi-
cient is known to indicate clearly that it is on the in-
crease rather than otherwise, and to cause those who
are interested in the welfare of the race to tremble at
the future prospect.

It has become a notorious fact that the families
of native Americans are getting to be so small
on the average that the children hardly replace
the parents. It has been stated on good authority
that the increase of population is almost entirely due
to immigration and the numerous families of the na-
tives of foreign countries. In New England where
families of eight and nine were formerly exceedingly
common, it is now stated that the average number of
persons to a family is scarcely more than three among
the native born population. At this rate, it is evident
that this monstrous vice threatens to exterminate the
race if nothing is done to check its ravages. It is
certainly high time that the public were thoroughly
enlightened on the subject and a general and organ-
ized effort instituted against this enemy of the race
which, to use the words of another employed in speak-
ing of another vice, annually destroys more human
beings than " war, pestilence, and famine combined."

Since the war by which the slaves of the South
were liberated, the same appalling vice has become
prevalent among them. With this exception, however,
the crime is chiefly confined to the middle and higher
classes of society. Professional abortionists who are,

354 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

it is sad to know, too often women, ply their criminal
trade in every large city of the land, and in almost
every little hamlet as well. The newspapers still
contain numerous advertisements which the initiated
well understand. For almost any sum from $500
down to the paltry sum of $10 these fiends in human
shape, the thugs of civilized lands, are ready at any
time to undertake the destruction of a human being
without the slightest compunction of conscience and
with little danger of detection, so imperfect are the
laws relating to the crime and so difficult the task of
obtaining evidence sufficient to convict the criminal.
The fact that jurymen as well as judges and attorneys
are not infrequently indebted to the criminal for sim-
ilar services, also has an important bearing on the re-
sults of the case in numerous instances. The im-
possibility of obtaining a conviction for the crime of
abortion, no matter what may be the character of the
evidence, is so notorious that persons Avho are well
known as professional abortionists are allowed to ply
their horrible trade year after year without being
molested.

But the crime is not confined to professionals.
Women sometimes become sufficiently skilled in the
use of instruments for the purpose to be able to per-
form the operation upon themselves, and such women
do not hesitate to instruct others in the art of de-
stroying their unborn children. Thus the vile conta-
gion spreads from one to another until in some in-
stances a whole neighborhood becomes demoralized.
It is not an uncommon thing for women to boast that
they know too much to have children. Often these

THE WIFE. 355

knowing ones m*jy be seen leading around a solitary
little one Avhose brothers and sisters have been all
nipped in the bud by the cruel abortionist, or by the
mother's own hand. Some little time ago a physician
of intelligence who had observed somewhat closely,
reported that in his neighborhood of several hundred
families, there had been scarcely a child born in three
or four years.

Every physician who has been a year in practice
will testify that he has had already from one to
twenty applications from women to aid them in ac-
complishing the murder of their helpless offspring.
The majority of these cases are of married women
whose only excuse is that they do not wish to en-
dure the inconvenience and trouble of pregnancy and
childbirth, or that they "do not want to have* chil-
dren," or that they " have children enough," or some
other equally frivolous excuse. Often have we had
women urge these and even more trifling arguments
to induce us to comply with their request to assist
them to secure an abortion.

Our first experience of this kind opened up to us
a new phase of human nature. We had previously
supposed that the reason why the crime was so prev-
alent was the ignorance of women with reference to
its criminality and the possible, even probable conse-
quences to themselves. We felt no doubt that to set
before a woman the matter in its true light, would be
sufficient to turn her from her purpose, and to insti-
tute a reform in that particular case at least. Noth-
ing could have surprised us more than to see our ex-
planations and appeals received with the most un-

356 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

flinching coldness, and not allowed to have the least
apparent weight in turning the woman from her pur-
pose. No matter how great the crime nor how im-
minent the risk, she was willing and anxious to take
the responsibility, and did not hesitate to state the fact,
and to still persist in importuning us to assist her.
She seemed lost to all sense of moral obligation, and
was ready to do anything or to sacrifice anything to
enable her to accomplish her object. So absorbed does
a woman, intent on the commission of this crime, be-
come in the accomplishment of her object, the most
touching appeals are usually wholly unavailing.

Some years ago a gentleman called at our private
office, and after considerable preliminary explanation
stated the fact that his wife was desirous of placing
herself under our care as a patient for the purpose of
securing the production of an abortion, it having oc-
curred to her that the superior advantages afforded
for treatment would enable her to escape the more
surely from the dangers Avhich she well knew to ac-
company the crime. We promptly gave him a neg-
ative answer and did not hesitate to supplement our
refusal by a pretty full expression of our opinion of
the operation both from a professional and a moral
stand-point. He seemed really touched by our repre-
sentations of the immorality of the act, and promised
to return to his home in a neighboring city and in-
duce his Avife to visit us in the hope that she might
be persuaded to look at the crime in its true light.
We heard nothing more of the matter for several
weeks, and the circumstance had almost passed from
our mind when we were informed one day that a lady

THE WIFE. 357

was waiting for us in the office, and on receiving her
card, recognized her as the lady in question, whom
we had been expecting. She at once stated her er-
rand, saying that her husband had told her Avhat we
had said to him, but that she had come hoping never-
theless that she might be able to induce us to per-
form the operation for her, as she had no thought of
giving it up, and should certainly employ some one
else if we did not consent to do it. We promptly as-
sured her that if the operation was performed at all,
it must be done by some one else besides us, and at
once began to lay before her some considerations cal-
culated to divert her mind from her purpose. Our
most earnest arguments and appeals seemed to have
no weight with her, however, and at last we said to
her, " Madam, you have had children before ? "
" Yes," she replied, " I have two beautiful children,
aged three and five years." " Very well ; you say
that you do not feel capable of caring for and rearing
more than two children, and assign this as a reason
why you are so anxious to destroy the child now de-
veloping within you. You are even willing not only
to destroy the coming little one, but to incur the risk
of losing your own life as well, or in all probability of
becoming an invalid for life at least, to say nothing of
the destruction of your peace of mind. Now I can
suggest for your consideration a much more rational
plan, one which will accomplish the same result, and
which will be attended with little if any physical
danger to yourself, and will be in no degree more
criminal." She was eager to hear the plan I had to
suggest, and expressed herself as very ready to adopt

358 THE LADIES GUIDE.

it if it would, as I said, accomplish the same result.
We accordingly presented it to her as follows : —

"Since your chief reason for wishing to destroy
your unborn child is your inability to care for more
than the two children which you already have, a
much better plan than that Avhich you propose would
be to take the life of one of the children already born,
and thus save yourself the danger of an operation
which is almost as likely to destroy your own life as
that of your child. You could easily drop the little
one into the river on some dark night, or could cut
its throat or smother it, with little fear of detection, as
no one would suspect you of such a crime, and then
you could allow the present pregnancy to go on to
full maturity and have no more children than you now
have. The crime would be in no sense a greater one,
and would not be so great in one sense, since if an abor-
tion is produced, the result may virtually be suicide
as well as murder. So far as the child is concerned,
it is murder in either case, and of the most cowardly
kind, since it is taking advantage of the weakness and
helplessness of a human being unable to defend itself,
an act which is seldom equaled in atrocity by the
most heartless assassin or even the barbarian captor."

She Aveakened for a few moments, and we felt
that possibly we might succeed in rescuing her from
the commission of the crime which she had meditated ;
but it was only for a moment that she hesitated; she
then rose and withdrew from our office with the asser-
tion that if we would not do the operation she must
find some one who Avould.

It would seem that such a view of the matter, so

THE WIFE. 359

manifestly true and unanswerable as an argument,
would arouse the conscience of any woman in whom
still glowed a single spark of the instinct of mother-
hood; but unfortunately this is by no means the case.
Too often the mind is so determinedly set upon
the commission of the crime that even the thunders
of Sinai would scarcely turn it from its purpose.
Many times have we earnestly labored for hours with
women who have applied to us for the performance of
an operation or for medicine by which the same end
might be accomplished, without other result than a
very weak promise to consider the matter farther;
and we knew too well that the consideration would
all be in the opposite direction from what it should be.
When a woman has so far smothered her womanly
instincts as to Avish to deliberately and in cold blood
murder her innocent, unborn babe, even at an
early period of its existence, she becomes desperate,
and sometimes desperately Avicked. Conscience seems
to be asleep and the moral instincts benumbed.

Sometimes, however, we ha\'e been glad to know
that the results of our efforts have been otherwise.
Often, as' Ave pass along the street, we meet a little
fair-haired boy who does not know how narroAvly his
mother escaped the commission of the awful crime of
murder, nor how earnestly we pleaded for his life when
he was a helpless, yet undeveloped, and, unfortu-
nately, unwelcome child. Would to God that we
could place before the mind of every Avoman in the
land a picture of the evils of this awful crime, the
sacrilege, the profanity, the worse than brutish cruelty
of this crime against God, against the race, against

360 THE LADIES* GUIDE.

nature, and against the perpetrator, a picture so vivid
in coloring, so horrifying in its hideousness, that it
would make an impression ineffaceable by any of the
selfish and frivolous considerations usually urged as
reasons justifying the act.

Statistics and the experience of every physician
of long practice show that abortion is many times
more dangerous to the life of the mother under ordi-
nary circumstances than pregnancy. The majority of
those who are guilty of this crime, become invalids
for life.

Criminal abortion is the cause to which thousands
of women may trace a long line of ailments of a most
obstinate and aggravating character. Many such
cases have come under our care, and no class of diseases
are so obstinate and often utterly intractable as this.
After normal childbirth, the uterus ajd its appendages
naturally undergo a change known as involution, by
which the organ is rapidly restored to its natural and
ordinary size and condition. After abortion, this
change is very likely to be incomplete, leaving the
uterus congested, enlarged, sensitive, and in a condi-
tion to invite the most serious disease. This is true
even in the most favorable cases. Often the imme-
diate results, as well as the more remote, are much
more serious. Abortion is very likely to be followed
by inflammations of various sorts, especially of the
uterus, ovaries, and surrounding tissues, which if not
immediately fatal, leave behind thetn results which
render the woman a life-long sufferer, and frequently
develop in later years into some form of malignant
disease. This is undoubtedly one of the most prolific

THE WIFE. 361

causes of the increasing frequency of this most appall-
ing and incurable of all human maladies, cancer.

One of the most frequent complications of abortion,
and one which rarely occurs in natural childbirth, is
blood poisoning from retention and decomposition of
the placenta and membranes of the foetus. At the end
of normal pregnancy, Nature prepares the way for the
prompt separation of these attachments of the foetus,
and thus obviates this danger ; but in cases of abor-
tion there has been no such preparation ; indeed, the
placenta is at this time becoming more and more
firmly attached to the walls of the uterus, and conse-
quently is likely to be retained to undergo gradual
decomposition, thus involving the liability to blood
poisoning, which will ruin the constitution for life if
it does not at once terminate fatally.

Physicians alone are to any degree acquainted
with the awful extent to which this crime prevails.
Even they are not always able to get at the facts.
Women who will commit this crime will resort to
any means to conceal it from those whom they know
regard it as such. Not long ago, on making an ex-
amination of a young unmarried woman, we were
surprised to find a large tear of the neck of the womb
which we could not doubt had been produced in this
way, though she professed to know of nothing ex-
cept a fall to which to attribute it.

A married woman who came under our care a few
years ago for treatment for a uterine disease, stated
that she had never borne a child, and adhered to the
statement, although an examination disclosed a large
tear in the neck of the womb which could not have

362 TEE LADIES? GUIDE.

been in any other way. Our confidence in the in-
tegrity of the patient for a time led us to think that
the morbid condition might possibly be the result of
the removal of a morbid growth from the uterus
which she asserted had been done at a preidous time ;
but we afterward learned that our first opinion was
correct, the occasion for the tear having been a lapse
from virtue when a girl, — a circumstance which had
all her life been held a secret.

The most horrible results often follow attempts at
the performance of this crime which are unsuccessful.
The instruments used frequently mutilate the inno-
cent being against whose life these cruel efforts are
directed, in a most terrible manner without accom-
plishing the desired result, so that the termination of
the pregnancy often reveals a beautiful babe with a
limb torn from its body, or frightfully disfigured in
other ways, or a monster so deformed as to be scarcely
recognizable as ever having had anything of a human
shape. Cases have even occurred in which the head
has actually been torn from the body without causing
abortion or even preventing development of the re-
mainder of the body. Nature sometimes endures all
this violence rather than surrender her trust before*
the proper time for so doing ; and every woman who
subjects herself to an operation for the purpose of in-
ducing abortion incurs the risk of becoming the un-
willing mother of an eyeless or crippled child, or a
headless monster.

Recent investigations have shown that there is
still another result of criminal abortion which has
been heretofore overlooked. Careful observations

THE WIFE. 363

have developed the fact that the subsequent preg-
nancies are affected by an induced abortion not only
as regards the liability to miscarriage, which is well
known, but as regards the development of the foetus.
Thousands of mothers have found that when they
had repented of their criminal attempts to thwart the
purposes of nature, and really desired children, the
womb had either undergone such changes that preg-
nancy was impossible, or if it occurred, could not
proceed to full development ; or that if the develop-
ment did continue to full term, the result was only a
weak, puny creature, badly developed, and certain to
be all its life-time a silent witness of the mother's
criminal attempts.

This is a matter to be considered by mothers who
desire to get rid of their unborn infants simply for
their convenience ; because they do not want to settle
down to sober life just yet, or because they have
planned a trip to Europe, or a summer at Saratoga.
Are you willing, mother, to incur the risk not only of
blighting the existence of the little innocent whom
Nature has furnished you Avith instincts to protect,
and to involve the liability of paying the penalty of
your crime with your own life, but also to render al-
most certain the destruction of the prospects of the
little ones who may come to you in future years,
should you still be capable of becoming a mother ?

One thing women ought to know. A skillful phy-
sician cannot be easily deceived as to the cause of an
abortion. The symptoms of an abortion occurring
spontaneously from ovarian disease, displacement, a
fall or other accident, are different from those which

364 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

accompany an instrumental abortion, and the differ-
ence will be readily detected by a physician of ex-
perience.

The time has fully come when there ought to be
a general waking up on the part of all lovers of hu-
manity, with reference to this devastating vice. Phy-
sicians and clergymen should " cry aloud and spare
not." Laws are of no consequence, or at any rate
are of little avail, since there are usually but two wit-
nesses to the crime, both of whom are criminals, and
both of course desirous of concealing their crimes.
The professional abortionist is skilled in the art of
concealment and evasion of justice. We have had
some experience in attempting to bring these human
fiends to justice, but not such as to encourage us in
repeating the effort. The evidence may be clear and
conclusive as possible, shrewd and unscrupulous law-
yers will find some means fox befogging the average
jury to such an extent as to cause a disagreement if
not an out and out acquittal.

The only hope for any better state of things
than at present exists is in the education of the peo-
ple. Women must be educated concerning them-
selves, and a wholesome respect for the sacredness of
the reproductive function must be cultivated. Wo-
men must be informed of the perils which they incur
in resorting to instrumental or medicinal means for pro-
ducing abortion. Only a few weeks ago a young wo-
man came to us for examination and treatment for
dropsy. Her history disclosed the fact that she had
taken a large dose of "tansy tea," as the result of which
she sank into collapse and remained unconscious for

THE WIFE.

many hours, her life being saved only by the greatest
exertions. Since that time, she stated, she had been
bloating, and had not menstruated. A few questions
elicited the fact that the tansy was taken " to bring her
around," as she said, menstruation not having occurred
at the usual time, and the fear being entertained that
she was pregnant. We at once understood the cause
of the bloating, and the examination made apparent
the correctness of our conclusions. The father soon
arrived on the scene and made a most eloquent appeal
to us to produce an abortion. We answered him in
the usual way, and he was apparently satisfied ; but
his subsequent course was such as to lead us to sus-
pect very strongly that he was determined not to
rest until the desired end was accomplished. This
case illustrates the fact that the mother's life may be
greatly imperiled without any result so far as the
foetus is concerned. All medicinal agents used for
this purpose are powerful poisons, and quite as likely
to produce the death of the mother as the expulsion
of the foetus.

Every woman who commits or attempts to com-
mit this horrible crime, and every husband who en-
courages it or even assents to its performance, ought
to be treated as a criminal, and ostracized from so-
ciety. So long as the act of abortion is looked upon
as an offense so trifling as to be easily condoned, and
hardly worthy of censure, its frequency will increase.
Every pulpit in the land ought to send out in stirring
and unmistakable tones, warnings against the gross
immorality of this practice, drawing vivid pictures of
its cruelty and unnaturalness, and pronouncing anath-

366 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

emas upon its perpetrators. The crime should be
considered a just cause for church action to disfellow-
ship, and the nature of the crime should not induce
those who may have knowledge of it to keep it secret.
The crime must be made odious, and the perpetrators
condemned in unstinted terms.

Physicians must warn women of the physical as
well as the moral calamities which follow in the wake
of this inhuman practice, and the certainty of retribu-
tion in this life, as well as the next.

Testimony of Eminent Physicians. — The follow-
ing paragraphs express not only the sentiments of the
eminent authorities referred to, but the conclusions
and views of all conscientious physicians of expe-
rience : —

" Yet this very thing of criminal abortion means,
in plain terms, the most cowardly, base kind of mur-
dering,— cowardly, because upon a helpless, living
embryo, to hide the result of sensual gratification,
or to evade the duty of caring for it afterward ; or
simply, with some, because it is thought to be vulgar
to have children, — base in a deliberate purpose to
sacrifice life, moral purity, maternal nobility and
loveliness, to degrading desire.

" There are those who would fain make light of
this crime by attempting to convince themselves and
others that a child, while in embryo, has only a sort
of vegetative life, not yet endowed with thought, and
the ability to maintain an independent existence. If
such a monstrous philosophy as this presents any
justification for such an act, then the killing of a
newly-born infant, or of an idiot, may be likewise

THE WIFE. 367

justified. The destruction of the life of an unborn
human being for the reason that it is small, feeble,
and innocently helpless, rather aggravates than pal-
liates the crime. Every act of this kind, with its
justification, is obviously akin to that savage philos-
ophy which accounts it a matter of no moment, or
rather a duty to destroy feeble infants, or old, help-
less fathers and mothers.

" Perhaps only medical men will credit the asser-
tion that the frequency of this form of destroying hu-
man life exceeds all others by at least fifty per cent,
and that not more than one in a thousand of the
guilty parties receive any punishment by the hand of
civil law. But there is a surer mode of punishment
for the guilty mother, in the self-executing laws of
nature. This, in the majority of instances, is suf-
ficiently severe, far more so than any ever planned
and executed by the hand of man. The punishment
is often capital, or by death, as every physician has
witnessed, and as the newspapers of the day abun-
dantly testify. When not so, there is usually a life-
long retribution in store for them, with an untimely
and agonizing mode of death.

" Yearly, thousands of women, wives, and mothers,
in the higher walks of life, risk, or actually sacrifice,
their lives by this unnatural crime, — their most inti-
mate friends uninformed and unsuspicious as to the
real cause of their death."

" The great majority of those who submit to this
crime drag through life in miserable health, victims to
painful irregularities, to slow and obstinate irritations,
or to a predisposition of the maltreated parts to take

368 THE LADIES GUIDE.

on disease from the slightest exposure and exertion.
Frequently the constitutional shock is so severe that
the strength is never fully recovered, the victim pre-
senting a striking and permanent absence of all the
marks of health and vigor. Even in some instances
in which the transgressor flatters herself that she is
uninjured, there is an insidious and terrible disease
forming in the generative organs, which only awaits
the waning of the general strength and energies to
burst forth into torturing and incurable activity. I
allude to that fearful disease, cancer of the womb." *

" The tendency to serious and often fatal organic
disease, as cancer, is rendered much greater at the so-
called turn of life, which has generally, and not with-
out good reason, been considered as especially the
critical period of a woman's existence."

" Not only is the foetus endangered by the at-
tempt at abortion, and the mothers health, but the
stamp of disease thus impressed is very apt to be per-
ceived upon any children she may subsequently bear.
Not only do women become sterile in consequence of
a miscarriage, and then, longing for offspring, find
themselves permanently incapacitated for conception;
but, in other cases, impregnation, or rather the at-
tachment of the ovum to the uterus, being but imper-
fectly effected, or the mother's system being so insid-
iously undermined, the children that are subsequently
brought forth are unhealthy, deformed, or diseased.
This matter of conception and gestation, after a mis-
carriage, has of late been made the subject of special

♦Black.

THE WIFE. * 369

study, and there is little doubt that from this, as the
primal origin, arises much of the nervous, mental, and
organic derangement and deficiency that, occurring in
children, cuts short or embitters their lives."

" In thirty-four cases of criminal abortion reported
by Tardieu, where the history was known, twenty-
two were followed, as a consequence, by death, and
only twelve were not."*

Another authority states that of one hundred and
sixty cases of instrumental abortion, the death of
the mother occurred in sixty.

The Meno-Pause, or Change of Life. — Begin-
ning at about the age of thirteen years, the men-
strual function usually continues about thirty-two
years, reaching its conclusion, on an average, in the
forty-sixth year, but terminating in the majority of
women in the fiftieth year. At puberty the ovary
enlarges until it attains its full development and be-
gins its work of casting off each month a perfected
ovule. When the forty-fifth year of a woman's life is
reached, the reverse of this process begins. The
ovary begins to shrivel, soon reaching the size and
acquiring much the appearance of a peach stone. A
few months later it is still more shrunken ; and after
the cessation of the menses it often becomes so shriv-
eled as to be scarcely recognizable.

At the same time that the ovaries are undergoing
this remarkable degenerative change, a similar change
is taking place in the other organs of generation.
The uterus also diminishes in size, as does also the
vagina. The mouth of the womb becomes contracted,

* Storer.

370 ' THE LADIES GUIDE.

and after a time entirely closed. The upper part of
the vagina is often contracted to such a degree as to
produce folds closely resembling those which result
from serious inflammations about the uterus. The
breasts also diminish in size. These changes indicate
unmistakably the decline of the function of reproduc-
tion preparatory to its entire suspension.

As a rule, the capability of procreation ceases with
the cessation of menstruation; but this is not uni-
formly the case. Instances are on record in which
pregnancy has occurred before the appearance of men-
struation ; and so it may also occur after the disap-
pearance of menstruation. This seeming anomaly is
due to the fact that ovulation and menstruation are
really two distinct acts, although usually coincident.

As before stated, menstruation usually ceases
somewhere between forty-five and fifty years; but
cases are recorded in which the meno-pause has oc-
curred at much earlier and much later periods. In
one instance which came under our observation a few
years ago, the change of life was complete at twenty-
eight; and in a case now under our care for treat-
ment for a mental affection, the meno-pause was de-
layed to the sixty-first year. Cases are recorded in
which the function was continued as late the eightieth
year, but there may be some doubt as to the authen-
ticity of these reports.

As at the establishment of the function it is at-
tended with a considerable degree of irregularity, so
also at the conclusion. There seems, indeed, to be a
remarkable correspondence between the morbid con-

THE WIFE. 371

ditions affecting the two termini of a woman's sexual
activity. If the function is ushered in with great
irregularity, its conclusion will be attended with the
same phenomena. Great pain, local or general during
menstrual activity, will pretty certainly be followed
by the same sort and degree of pain at the grand
climacteric. One very singular circumstance is the
fact that a late puberty indicates a short rather than a
long menstrual life. So also, habitual pain at the
menstrual period indicates pretty certainly much pain
and suffering at the meno-pause.

A Critical Period. — This period is one of the
most critical epochs of a woman's life. Upon the
manner in which she passes through it, depends
her future health and happiness in a very great de-
gree. The perturbations in the general system which
occur at this time are of a character so profound
as to be wholly inexplicable were not the intimate
relations of the ovaries with the general system
through their nervous connections so thoroughly un-
derstood. During the period of menstrual activity,
a woman's system is affected, we may almost say,
dominated, by the influence of these two little glands
in a most remarkable manner. The relation between
the ovaries and the digestive functions must be
familiar to every one. The nausea which is induced
by simply pressing upon the ovaries, especially if
they are in the slightest degree irritable, is evi-
dence of the reflex influence which they exert upon
other important abdominal organs. Either an ex-
cess or a deficiency of the proper influence of these

372 THE LADIES* GUIDE.

organs over other parts of the system may be produc-
tive of disease, and to an extent even more than is at
present well understood.

In view of these facts it is not to be wondered
at that the removal of an influence so profound should
be accompanied by a greater or less degree of general
disturbance. The period during which these disturb-
ances are observable lasts from a few months to
several years. The average period from the time
when the first irregularities are noticed to the entire
cessation of the menstrual flow is about two and one-
fifth years.

The degree of disturbance observed during this
period is exceedingly variable. Much depends upon
the condition of the system when the period is
reached. A woman who comes to this critical epoch
of her life with a constitution unimpaired by fashiona-
ble dressing or dissipation or by excesses of any kind,
may hope to pass through it safely and quickly, avoid-
ing the numerous dangers which at this time beset
the pathway of her sister who has recklessly ignored
the demands of nature and the dictates of reason m
respect to the care of her health. A woman who has
ail her life been feeble, a sufferer from " female weak-
nesses " of various sorts, will find this period a verita-
ble "Pandora's box" of ills, and may well look
forward to it with apprehension and foreboding. It is
well, indeed, if being forewarned, she begins in time to
correct the various faults of habit and regimen which
have a direct or indirect tendency to increase the
perils of the approaching crisis. A proper preparar
tion for this eventful period will do more to mitigate

THE WIFE, 373

its sufferings and hasten it to a happy termination
thaiuall the prescriptions which can be compounded
by the most skillful physicians. Hence the attention
which we give to this important subject here. In
this case as in many others the homely adage, " an
ounce of prevention is better than a pound of "cure,"
is peculiarly applicable.

As a rule, the first indication ol the approach of
the meno-pause is irregularity of the menstrual flow,
either in time or in quantity, or in both. In excep-
tional cases there is a sudden cessation of the flow,
there being no return of the function, even in a slight
degree. This should not be considered a cause for
alarm, when it does occur, as is likely to be the case
on account of the numerous popular superstitions re-
specting this period. There is no danger to the sys-
tem in any way from such a sudden suspension of
the function, provided opportunity is given for the
system to recover its balance by perspiration or other-
wise. The most common mode of termination is a
gradual diminution of the flow until it ceases alto-
gether. Sometimes a profuse flooding terminates the
function, and in other cases a succession of such flood-
ings occur. With some women the flow is alternately
scanty and profuse for a few months before it wholly
ceases, while with others the quantity is normal but
the time either shortened or lengthened or irregular
in both ways, until suspension occurs.

Other symptoms besides those immediately con-
nected with the function, almost invariably mark the
approach of this epoch and characterize its continu-
ance. There is in almost all cases a decline in health

374 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

more or less marked in degree. The strength is di-
minished, and in many instances there is loss of flesh
as well. The appetite is capricious and morbid, as at
the beginning of the period of menstrual activity.
Various disturbances of the stomach, bowels, bladder,
and even kidneys are to be noted. Cutaneous erup-
tions often occur, particularly a form of acne of the
face. The patient perhaps complains of symptoms
referring to the heart, also the lungs and other vital
organs, all of which are found on examination to be
of a purely reflex character. The expression of the
face often changes in a marked degree; and some-
times there is a marked growth of hair on the chin or
upper lip.

- But by far the most noticeable symptoms are
those which relate to the nervous system. The neu-
ralgias, nervousness, fidgets, and hysterias, which af-
flict some women at this period are such as to render
life wholly undesirable. " Flushings " are among the
most constant of the symptoms referable to the nerv-
ous system. This is due to the reflex influence of the
ovaries upon the vaso-rnotor system. A sudden rushing
of blood to a part, accompanied by excessive heat and
often violent throbbing, renders the patient really
wretched by its frequency. Any part of the body
may be affected, but the head or face and neck are
the favorite seat of the affection. The hands, feet,
legs, and trunk of the body may be affected in the
same manner. The phenomenon is precisely the same
as that of blushing, and indeed this may be said to be
a sort of "pathological blushing." This sudden afflux
of blood to any part may occur as often as several

THE WIFE. 375

times an hour, or may be as infrequent as half a dozen
times a day. The paroxysm usually lasts not more
than ten minutes, and is succeeded by a profuse per-
spiration, which relieves the surcharged blood-vessels
of their repletion. When the heat is not succeeded
by the perspiration, it is familiarly termed "dry
flushing," which is much more disagreeable than
the other form of the malady, since the surcharged
blood-vessels are not emptied of their contents by the
exudation of serum.

Sometimes nausea and vomiting accompany the
flushing, as does invariably a feeling of weakness and
malaise to which the patient should yield herself, se-
curing quiet and repose until the equilibrium of the
circulation is restored. Sometimes the congestion of
the head becomes so intense as to make apoplexy
imminent; and, indeed, cases of paralysis have oc-
curred at such a time in a few instances.

Another unpleasant complication of these attacks
is the intense mental excitement which often accom-
panies them, and which sometimes amounts to actual
delirium or mania. On account of this tendency, they
ought not to be regarded lightly or unworthy of
prompt and efficient attention.

Profuse perspirations, sometimes so copious as to
saturate the bed-clothing, is also a common symptom
of this condition. These may follow a " flushing," or
may occur independently. They are most apt to
occur during sleep. They follow, also, mental or nerv-
ous excitement almost invariably.

Other general symptoms occur with greater or less
frequency and prominence, as general debility, chloro-

376 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

sis, biliousness, headache, pain in the back and bowels,
sick headaches, hemorrhoids or piles, diarrhoea, con-
stipation, dropsy, bloating of the face, swelling of
the hands or feet, frequent fainting, irritation and
swelling of breasts, neuralgia or rheumatism of joints,
leucorrhoea, pain in chest with or without cough,
false pregnancy, nettle rash, water brash, inconti-
nence of urine, numbness in limbs, prickling sensation
in hands and arms, epilepsy, fits of laughing and
crying, irritation of the rectum, vicarious hemorrhages,
as from nose, stomach, varicose veins, and even skin,
boils near the anus, peeling of nails, falling off of nails,
inflammation of the eye and weak vision, toothache,
neuralgia of vulva, itching of vulva, inflammation of
vagina, sciatica, and unnatural drowsiness.

The great liability to the formation of morbid
growths at this time is also a prominent feature of
the pathology of the meno-pause. This applies par-
ticularly to polypi and fibroid growths of the uterus.
Cancer must also be mentioned as one of the morbid
conditions which frequently chooses this as the favor-
able moment for it to establish itself. If the neck of
the womb has been previously torn by childbirth, or if
the nutrition of the organ has been impaired by the
practice of abortion, the occurrence of cancer at this
time is rendered much more probable.

A peculiar form of morbid growth known as u vas-
cular tumor of the urethra " is also likely to make its
appearance at this time. We have operated upon a
large number of these tumors, and have found by far
the greater number in women at or near the meno-

THE WIFE. 377

pause, although the affection is by no means confined
to this class.

But we have not yet mentioned the most promi-
nent class of symptoms which characterize this impor-
tant period, viz., those which relate to the mind.
The mental symptoms are quite as marked and prom-
inent in most cases as are those which relate to any
part of the system. Often there is an entire and
most remarkable change in disposition. A kind, pa-
tient mother, or forbearing, confiding, exemplary wife,
becomes irritable, unreasonable, and suspicious. Her
natural modesty may even give place to wantonness
in extreme cases, and the mother's instincts may be-
come so thoroughly obliterated as to give place to an
almost uncontrollable desire to take the lives of her
little ones. The once happy woman becomes de-
spondent, moody, and taciturn. She avoids company,
has no taste for amusements, and spends her time in
watching her varying symptoms, and bewailing her
real and imaginary woes. In many cases, actual in-
sanity, usually of a temporary character, fortunately,
is the result of the profound disturbances which the
system undergoes at this time.

Although this is but a hasty and imperfect sketch
of this critical epoch in a woman's life, we must
hasten to consider what may be done to prevent and
ameliorate these various morbid conditions.

Hygiene of the Change of Life. — The best way
for a woman to prepare for the crisis which we have
briefly described, is to live healthfully and physiologic-
ally in every particular, as we have described in the
foregoing pages of the work. In matters pertaining

378 THE LADIES GUIDE.

to dress, diet, and exercise, it is particularly important
that all the laws of health be scrupulously obeyed.
If this has been done from early childhood, happy
will be the transit through the stormy sea of
the climacteric ; but if the reverse has been the case,
there are dangerous breakers ahead. If there is no
time for preparation, the necessary reforms should be
at once adopted as the most certain means of avoid-
ing the worst evils, and by the aid of a few practical
suggestions, much can be done to redeem the time.

On the appearance of the first indication of the
approaching change, the woman should be relieved of
all taxing cares, and should be placed under such cir-
cumstances as to secure quiet, and mental and physi-
cal repose. If she must remain at home, she must be
shielded from the thousand and one petty annoyances
which creep into the best regulated domestic circles.
Induce her to take a liberal allowance of out-of-door
exercise daily. Carriage riding is especially to be
recommended, as it provides gentle exercise with en-
tertainment. The diet should be amply nourishing
and varied, but . unstimulating. Nothing is better
than the fruits and grains prepared in various simple
but palatable ways. Tea and coffee are especially ob-
jectionable, as are all forms of alcoholic beverages, to-
gether with " bitters" of every description.

A tri-weekly warm bath will be found exceedingly
soothing to the irritable nerves. Gentle rubbing ad-
ministered daily will be of special advantage also;
sponging the spine alternately with hot and cold
water once or twice a day, ten to twenty minutes at
a time, will be found of special service also.

THE WIFE. 379

The pain in the back may usually be removed by
means of hot fomentations applied very thoroughly
for half an hour once or twice a day. The pain and
tenderness often present in the lower part of the bow-
els may be relieved by the same means applied over
the seat of pain. Another very useful measure is the
application <?f heat to the sacrum by means of a hot
brick or water-bag and a cold bag over the seat of pain
in front. This application may be continued from two
to four hours daily with benefit in these cases when
quite obstinate.

Another simple measure of great value as a pre-
ventive of local inflammations, and a means of con-
trolling a tendency to hemorrhage and removing con-
gestion of the uterus and ovaries, is the vaginal
douche, full directions for taking which are given in
the appendix. This measure alone used daily or
twice a day, is worth more than all the other measures
known to the medical profession combined, if thor-
oughly administered.

Warm sitz baths are also of advantage, and may
be recommended for use in most cases.

To relieve the " flushings " of the face ana head;
no remedy works so promptly as hot sponging of the
congested parts and hot fomentations of the spine.
The same principle applies when other parts of the
body are affected as well as the head.

For the profuse sweating, hot salt sponging, at a
temperature as high as can be borne, is an excellent
means of treatment. If not successful, equal parts of
alcohol and water may be used instead. Special ail-
ments should receive special treatment, either as di-

380 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

rected in the concluding portion of this work, or by a
competent physician.

One more question remains to be answered in case
the patient is a married lady, the question of the mar-
ital relations during this change. There are undoubt-
edly cases in which the perturbed state of the sexual
as well as of the nervous system gives rise to an un-
natural excitement of the sexual desires at this epoch,
but that such is rarely the case is the uniform testi-
mony of those whose experience qualifies them to
testify on the subject. As a rule the appetite for
the physical pleasures of the marriage bed are during
this time greatly in abeyance, if not wholly extin-
guished. It is evidently the design of Nature to pro-
tect the nervous system of the woman from the tem-
pestuous excitements which she is unqualified to en-
dure without damage not only to the system as a
whole, but to that portion of the vital economy chiefly
involved in the act. There is no doubt but that sex-
ual congress at this time is a very common cause of
intensifying all the numerous inconveniences and
physical, mental, and nervous ailments which are at-
tendant upon this period, and hence continence is to
be not only recommended but enjoined as one of the
most essential hygienic measures by which a safe and
rapid transit through the turbulent period of sexual
decline may be insured.

^*«se>£g**

The Mother,

I HE motherly instinct is without doubt the
ruling passion in the heart of the true wo-
man. The cexual nature of woman finds
expression in this channel when her life is
a normal one, rather than in the grosser
forms of sexual activity. In modern times
there seems to be a tendency to the oblit-
eration of the instinct which makes mother-
hood desirable and regards it with respect ;
but every true woman will recognize the
demoralizing nature of this unhallowed influence, and
will lift her voice in solemn protest against it. In
no sphere does woman so well display her Eden-born
graces of character so excellently as when fulfilling her
duties in nurturing and training for usefulness the
plastic minds and forms which have been intrusted to
her care. We behold with admiration the canvass of
a Raphael or a Michael Angelo ; we stand with
speechless wonderment before the recovered marble
of a Phidias or a Praxiteles ; we are almost ready
to bend the knee in adoration of the lofty genius
which gave birth to these marvelous works of art which
have immortalized their creators ; but which of all
of these can for a moment compare with the work in-

[881]

382 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

trusted to the mother, the task of molding a mind,
of modeling a character, not for time only, but for
eternity.

Let the purity and dignity of motherhood be
magnified. Let woman be taught that in the per
formance of her Heaven-intrusted task she is fulfill-
ing a mission so lofty and so sacred that none other
can ever approach to it. We do not say that woman
should never aspire to any calling outside the prov-
ince of the domestic circle ; but we do most emphatic-
ally denounce as false and in the highest degree
perverting in its tendency, the notion that the
mother's mission is a lowly one, unsuited to the capa-
bilities of a brilliant intellect. Such teaching is in
the highest degree mischievous. Any mother may
find within the scope of her own family circle ample
opportunity for the full employment of the noblest
endowments of mind and soul which have ever been
bestowed upon a human being.

The Prospective Mother. — The woman who for
the first time recognizes the fact that she will in the
natural course of events in a few months become a
mother, naturally finds her mind occupied with new
thoughts and curious questions on a variety of themes
which may never have interested her before. If she
possesses the true mother's instincts she will earnestly
inquire how her own habits of life, her thoughts and
actions, may affect the well-being of her developing
child. Possibly she may never have heard of the
marvelous influence of heredity in molding not only
the form but the character of the unborn; but in-
stinct teaches her that her own conditions in some

THE MOTHER 383

way affect those of her. child, and that for a period
she must think, act, and live for another besides her-
self. One of the most powerful means of impressing
indelibly upon the mind the necessity for care and
proper training, mental and moral, as well as physi-
cal, during the period of pregnancy and lactation, is a
presentation of the principles and facts of

HEREDITY.

We have not space here to enter into the de^
tails of this somewhat intricate department of biol-
ogy, and can only call attention to a few of its
leading features which are of special practical value
in this connection.

" Like father like son,'11 is a homely adage, the cor-
rectness of which is rarely questioned ; and " like
mother like daughter" would be equally true. A
careful study of the subject of heredity has estab-
lished as a scientific fact the principle that sons as a
rule most resemble the father, and daughters the
mother, although there are often observed marked
exceptions to the rule. The degree to which this
hereditary tendency exists, and how it may be utilized
to the improvement of the race is a question of inter-
est which we may profitably consider. Unfortu-
nately, the question of " pedigree " receives very little
attention so far as human beings are concerned. If a
man is about to expend a thousand dollars for a fine
horse, he inquires with great care into the ancestry
of the animal. The owner must be able to show a
record of lineal and unmixed descent from parents

384 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

of pure stock, or its value will be greatly depreciated
in the eyes of the purchaser.

Stock raisers appreciate in the highest degree the
fact that " blood " is a thing of market value, and not
to be ignored in the slightest degree. In matters
which relate to the welfare of their own race, how-
ever, eternal as well as temporal, human beings seem
to ignore the principles which they so readily recog-
nize in lower species.

A young man seeking a wife, or a young woman
considering the eligibility of a young man to be-
come her husband, asks no questions about pedigree.
The question, At what age did your father or mother,
or grandfather or grandmother die, or of what disease,
is rarely if ever asked as having any bearing on the
subject of marriage. Family tendencies to scrofula,
consumption, insanity, epilepsy, or any one of numer-
ous other lines of physical degeneracy, to say nothing
of vicious moral and mental tendencies, are never
taken into consideration.

Race Deterioration. — In consequence of this
neglect of one of the primary conditions of healthy
parentage, the race is daily deteriorating in spite of
the efforts of sanitarians and health teachers. Sani-
tary laws respecting the care of cities and of indi-
viduals may be ever so thorough and complete, and
may be enforced with the most scrupulous rigor,
yet the race will continue to degenerate so long as
this matter of heredity is neglected ; for " blood will
tell," whether good or bad, and the great prepon-
derance of " bad blood " is the fatal element at work
undermining the constitution of the race and destined

THE MOTHER 385

ultimately to destroy it, if some means is not taken
to prevent its baneful influence.

We are fully aware that this view of the pros-
pects of the race is a very unpopular one ; but con-
siderable study of the subject has convinced us that
the conclusion we have drawn is the only correct one.
Defects of body and mind, as well as of morals, are
growing yearly more abundant. Two persons possess-
ing these defects unite in marriage, and their defects
are many times increased in intensity in their chil-
dren.

A quaint writer in speaking on the subject of
heredity and indiscriminate marriage, utters the truth
in the following very forcible words : —

" By our too much facility in this kind, in giving
way for all to marry that will, too much liberty and
indulgence in tolerating all sorts, there is a vast con-
fusion of breed and diseases, no family secure, no man
almost free from some grievous infirmity or other,
when no choice is had, but still the eldest must
marry . . . . or, if rich, be they fools or diz-
zards, lame or maimed, unable, intemperate, dissolute,
exhaust through riot, as it is said, jure hcereditatis
sapere jubentur, they must be wise and able by inherit-
ance; it comes to pass that our generation is cor-
rupt, we have many weak persons, both in body and
mind, many feral diseases raging amongst us, crazed
families, parentes peremptores ; our fathers bad, and
we are like to be worse."*

The stock-breeder modifies the form and mental
and nervous qualities of his animals almost at will.

* Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy.

386 THE LADIES GUIDE.

He increases or lessens length of body or legs, and in-
creases or decreases any particular feature of muscu-
lar development. Under his manipulations, the com-
mon race of horses yields in obedience to his will, the
carriage horse or cart horse,- the racer or the roadster,
each with special qualities and characteristics which
enable him to excel in a particular direction.

Interesting Illustrations. — Every breeder knows
that not only good traits but disease and vicious
tendencies are transmissible. Broken wind, spavin,
arid numerous other diseases are well-known to be
inherited in horses, as also defects, even when ac-
cidentally produced. It is asserted that when sev-
eral generations of horses have been marked with a
red-hot iron in the same spot, the colts sometimes
acquire the same marking.

The well-known variety of sheep known as the
ancon originated in a male lamb born of an ordinary
sheep, but possessing the peculiarity of a long body,
short legs, and crooked fore-legs. These qualities
being desirable as they rendered the animal unable to
leap fences with the usual facility, the same qualities
were produced in others by breeding from the origi-
nal, and thus a distinct breed of sheep has been pro-
duced.

It is undoubtedly in a similar manner that the
flies of some of the windy islands of the Pacific Ocean
have lost their wings, without which they are much
better fitted to meet the gales to which they are al-
most constantly exposed.

An army officer who had acquired a deformity of
the little finger as the resutt of a gunshot wound,

THE MOTHER. 387

transmitted the same to his children and thence to
his grandchildren.

Acquired habits are often transmitted. This is
noticed in a marked degree in the various breeds of
dogs. The shepherd dog takes naturally to his task;
and the pointer needs scarcely any training to make
him proficient in his particular line. That the dispo-
sition to use the left hand runs in families is a famil-
iar fact. A curious example is given in which the
habit of crossing the legs in a peculiar manner during
sleep was transmitted through two generations.

A remarkable example of heredity appears in the
case of the Lambert family. More than a century
and a half ago a boy of fourteen appeared before the
Royal Society of England, possessing a peculiarity,
which attached to him the appellation of the " Porcu-
pine Man," consisting of a thick covering of horny
scales or bristles which gave to his integument the
appearance of that of a hedgehog with its quills
trimmed to about an inch in length. This peculiarity,
accidentally acquired through some abnormality of the
developmental process, was transmitted to his sons
and grandsons. The narrator remarks concerning
this curious freak of nature, " It appears, therefore,
past all doubt, that a race of people may be propa-
gated by this man having such rugged coats, or cov-
erings as himself; and if this should ever happen,
and the accidental original be forgotten, it is not im-
probable they might be deemed a different species of
mankind."

Dr. Brown Sequard, an eminent French physiolo-
gist, has succeeded in inducing epilepsy in Guinea-pigs,

388 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

and has observed that even when thus artificially in-
duced, the disease is transmitted to the young of the
diseased animals.

It has also been observed that the conditions re-
sulting from overwork or ill usage of an animal are
readily transmitted to the young.

Mr. Francis Galton, who has probably made the
most careful study of the hereditary influences which
produce men of genius, tells us that nearly all men of
great talent, jurists, statesmen, commanders, artists,
scientists, poets, and clergymen, have had parents of
marked ability. Of the two parents, the father has
the precedence in the proportion of seven to three ;
but this is no greater difference in favor of the male
than would naturally result from the superior adva%
tages afforded men for the development of genius.

One curious fact is that eminent divines seem to
inherit their ability from their mothers much more
frequently than their fathers, the proportion being
nearly three to one in favor of mothers, from which
he concludes that mothers transmit piety to their
children in a larger measure than fathers.

If true, this certainly speaks well for the piety of
women ; but we question the correctness of the con-
clusion, for we are by no means certain that the
qualities which contribute the most largely to the
eminence of distinguished divines are not other than
those which constitute piety. Learning, eloquence,
and other traits which make men famous in other
callings are more often the chief factors.

The difference in the aptitude for acquiring knowl-
edge, which is very apparent between the negro and

THE MOTHER. 389

the Caucasian races, is almost equally marked when
the children of the ignorant and the cultivated classes
of the white race are compared. In both cases the
influence of heredity is apparent.

That moral as well as mental qualities are trans-
mitted from parent to child is also evident from the
observation of what are known as the criminal classes,
in whom the hereditary tendency to crime is so appar-
ent that in England, institutions have been organized
to provide for the care of the children of criminals in
the hope that by correct early training something may
be done toward reclaiming them.

The habit or vice of the parent becomes in the
child an almost irresistible tendency. This is appar-
ent in the children of drunkards, thieves, libertines,
and prostitutes, and we do not doubt that farther in-
vestigation and careful study of the subject will show
that the tobacco, opium, chloral, and other similar
habits, and possibly also the excessive use by parents
of tea and coffee and of stimulating condiments,
stamp the progeny with vicious tendencies which
either lead directly to the formation of similar habits
or worse ones, or establish diseased conditions which
sooner or later develop into serious or even fatal mal-
adies.

No better illustration of the fact of the inheritance
of a tendency to vice could be asked than is afforded
by the notorious Juke family of New York. From
five unchaste sisters have sprung a family of 1200
persons, nearly all of whom, at least of those living,
are the occupants of jails, work-houses, poor-houses,
or houses of bad repute. Nearly half are known to

390 THE LADIES QUIDS.

be contaminated with the foulest of all diseases to
which human beings are subject

The hereditary tendency to vice and crime Is one
which deserves more attention than it now receives
from our law-makers and administrators as well as
from parents. It is really impossible to justly esti-
mate the degree of an individual's guilt without know-
ing something of his hereditary tendencies. We do
not propose that persons with hereditary tendencies
to theft and other crimes shall be excused on that
account, but rather that they should be punished in a
different manner from other criminals.

The Chinese are certainly a hundred years ahead of
us in their administration of justice, at least in this
particular. In that country, careful inquiry is made
in each case as to the family history of the prisoner
and the possible hereditary tendencies which he may
have received from his parents.

Very recently an example of hereditary influence
in a bad direction has been exhibited before the whole
country in the person of the assassin, Guiteau. Ac-
cording to the testimony given in this case, the pris-
oner's mother was wholly unreconciled to her condi-
tion during pregnancy previous to his birth, and
resorted to every possible means of producing an
abortion by means of drugs. He came into the world
an "unwelcome child," his body weakened by the
violence done it, his nervous system depraved by the
excited and turbulent condition of his mother during
his development, and his mind stamped with the reck-
less disregard for human life felt by his mother in her
unsuccessful attempts to destroy her helpless, unborn

THE MOTHER 391

babe. Are there not thousands of just such unbal-
anced and erratic minds whose bias toward evil has
been obtained in the same manner ? What would be
the children of such a father as Guiteau ? Are there
not thousands of just such little ones growing up in
the heart of every large city at this very moment ?
Is it any marvel that our prisons and insane asylums
are full to overflowing ?

The poets Coleridge, father and son, illustrate
this same principle. The father was an opium-eater,
and as a result of yielding to the fascination of the
habit, he was reduced to such a state that he said of
himself that not only in reference to his habit but in
all the relations of life his will was utterly powerless.
His son inherited his father's propensities and weak-
ness of will. His favorite poison was alcohol, how-
ever, instead of opium. The following is his brother's
description of him : " A certain infirmity of will had
already shown itself. His sensibility was intense,
and he had not wherewithal to control it. He could
not open a letter without trembling. He shrank from
mental pain; he was beyond measure impatient of
constraint. . . . He yielded, as it were uncon-
sciously, to slight temptations, — slight in themselves,
and slight to him, as if swayed by a mechanical impulse
apart from his own volition. It looked like an organic
defect, a congenital imperfection."

He well understood his condition, as is evidenced
by the following reference to himself which occurs in
one of his works : —

" Oh ! woful impotence of weak resolve,
Recorded rashly to the writer's shame,

392 THE LADIES GUIDE.

Days pass away, and time's large orbs revolve,
And every day beholds me still the same,
Till oft-neglected purpose loses aim,
And hope becomes a flat, unheeded lie."

The senior Coleridge, as well as the younger, was
well aware of his weakness, and kept himself con-
stantly under the care of an attendant to prevent him
from yielding to his propensities.

One of the most talented of modern essayists *
has looked deeply into this subject and thus coined
his thoughts into words : —

" It is very singular, that we recognize all the
bodily defects that unfit a man for military service,
and all the intellectual ones that limit his range of
thought; but always talk at him as though all his
moral powers were perfect. . . . Some persons
talk about the human will as if it stood on a high
lookout, with plenty of light, and elbow-room reaching
to the horizon. Doctors are constantly noticing how
it is tied up and darkened by inferior organization,
by disease, and all sorts of crowding interferences ;
until they get to look upon Hottentots and Indians,
— and a good many of their own race, too, — as a kind
of self-conscious blood-clocks, with very limited power
of self-determination; and they find it as hard to
hold a child accountable in any moral point of view
for inherited bad temper, or tendency to drunkenness,
as they would to blame him for inheriting gout or
asthma."

Notwithstanding these facts, we must still main-
tain that man is morally responsible for his acts, al-

* Holmes.

THE MOTHER 393

though in somewhat less degree than has been in
generations past supposed. The light thrown upon
the subject of heredity by modern scientific re-
searches explains the divine mandate, " The sins of
the fathers shall be visited upon the children unto
the third and fourth generations."

All of these facts are of practical interest as
showing the mother how she may determine some-
thing of the character to expect in her children, and
knowing beforehand what their deficiences and mor-
bid tendencies may be, will be prepared to meet
them in such a manner as to correct them so far as
may be by proper training during the period when
the mind is plastic and impressible. But there is a
still more valuable lesson to be learned from heredity,
one which ought to be indelibly fixed in the mind of
every woman who may possibly become a mother;
viz., the fact that during the period of gestation, or
pregnancy, the mental and bodily states of the
mother affect those of the embryonic being to whom
she is destined in due time to give birth. This posi-
tion has been disputed, but the accumulated evidences
have become too strong to allow of room for doubt.
The following are a few illustrations out of many
which we might cite : —

According to Carpenter, in his large and excellent
work on physiology, a state of anxiety long main-
tained during pregnancy has a tendency to produce
idiocy in the children. He cites in support of this
idea the fact that out of ninety-two births which oc-
curred in the district of Londan, France, within a few
months after the siege of 1793, during which a terri-

394 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

ble cannonading was kept up for days and the arsenal
was blown up, sixteen died at birth, thirty-three died
before the expiration of the first year, eight were
idiots and died before they were five years of age,
two were found at birth to have numerous fractures
of the limbs, making nearly two-thirds of the entire
number lost to the world through the unhappy men-
tal influence of a continual state of alarm on the part
of the mother.

James I. was a monarch noted for his cowardice.
Emotions of fear would sometimes sieze upon him so
that he would shudder at the mere sight of a sword.
This was not a trait of his immediate ancestors, and
can only be accounted for by the fact that his
mother, Queen Mary, of Scotland, was terrorized by
the assassination in her presence of David Rizzio,
shortly before the birth of James.

Napoleon was a character in striking contrast with
the monarch just mentioned. Before his birth his
mother was accustomed to warlike scenes, * accom-
panying her husband on military expeditions, and
sharing with him the scenes of civil war; not in a
state of alarm, but of firmness and bravery.

Another author f quotes the case of a woman who
was during her pregnancies always afflicted with a
mania for theft, the result of which was that she trans-
mitted the propensity to all her children.

Numerous other cases might be cited, did space
permit ; but sufficient has been said to show clearly

* Life of Napoleon Bonaparte, by Sir Walter Scott,
t M. Lucas.

THE MOTHER 395

that ante-natal influence upon the mother is a power-
ful factor in determining the character of offspring.

Influences operating upon the father, and perhaps
also upon the mother at the time of impregnation,
have also an important bearing on the character of
offspring. This fact was recognized by the ancients,
who attributed to influences of this character greater
importance than the facts will support.

Combe gives an account of a case reported by a
physician of the Isle of Man as follows : " A man's
first child was of sound mind ; afterwards he had a
fall from his horse, by which his head was much in-
jured. His next two children proved to be both
idiots. After this he was trepanned, and had other
children, and they turned out to be of sound mind."

One more fact should be mentioned in this con-
nection. It has been observed that the young of an-
imals who are immature in years or development are
small and dwarfed, and incapable of perfect develop-
ment. Lambs, goats, calves, and colts born of young
parents, remain undeveloped, weak, lymphatic, and
incapable of performing their full functions. The
same is true of the stag. It has been noticed that the
young of such animals do not reach maturity so soon
as those born of older parents.

It is asserted by Aristotle that in those cities of
Greece where it was the custom for young people to
marry early, before complete maturity, the children
were of small stature and puny.

An eminent French authority * observed the same
thing in his native country where the fear of con-

* Montesquieu.

396 THE LADIES GUIDE.

scription induced many young persons to marry be-
fore the proper age. He states that although the
unions were fruitful, the children were small, wretched,
and unhealthy. Another authority, M. Lucas, states
that the same thing occurred in France in 1812 and
1813.

If the race is ever to be redeemed from the pres-
ent state of physical degeneracy into which it has
fallen, it must be by means of attention to the laws of
heredity. By this means only can diseased tenden-
cies be successfully combated. Without the aid of
this powerful redeeming agency, all other means will
be unavailing. The keeping alive of weak and physic-
ally depraved individuals, thus allowing them to marry
and impress their own weakness and morbid tenden-
cies upon the race, directly contributes to the further-
ance of race deterioration rather than the reverse.
This is one of the most interesting and important of the
numerous problems to be grappled with by students
of social science. How can the laws of heredity be
applied to the human species in such a manner as to
make them of practical value to the race? Men
ought to be born into the world with a bias toward
good instead of evil, " weighted " toward health in-
stead of toward disease. We do not look for the
dawn of the Utopian day when such will be the case,
in the present generation at least ; but every mother
ought to study and ponder the subject with the great-
est care and thoughtfulness, and seek so far as possible
to make a practical application of these principles in
the rearing of her children.

THE MOTHER. 397

GESTHTION, OR- PREGNiNCY.

Signs of Pregnancy. — The cessation of the men-
ses is usually the first indication that conception has
taken place and that the period of gestation has be-
gun. As remarked in a previous portion of the work,
however, some women seem to have certain symptoms
indicative of the occurrence of conception, such as
slight faintness, or some nervous symptom peculiar
to the individual. These cases must be regarded,
however, as quite exceptional. When the menstrual
function is interrupted without the occurrence of any-
thing to which it may be fairly attributed, as taking
cold, or some serious general or local disease, a mar-
ried woman who has been exposed to the liability of
conception may consider that she has good grounds
for suspecting that she has become pregnant. It
should be borne in mind, however, that pregnancy
sometimes occurs without inturrupting the menstrual
function, at least during the first months. Cases are
also on record in which pregnancy has occurred with-
out the menstrual function ever having made its ap-
pearance, and after the change of life had occurred,
the menstrual discharge having been absent for
months.

"Morning Sickness/9 is a symptom which makes
its appearance very early in the period of pregnancy,
usually in the second month, and often in the first
week, continuing six or eight weeks. There is nau-
sea and sometimes vomiting, the symptom usually
occurring just after rising in the morning, whence its

398 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

name. This form of vomiting is due to sympathetic
influences, and while generally not so serious but that
it may be easily controlled by the simple means which
will be hereafter described, sometimes becomes so vio-
lent and uncontrollable as to endanger not only the
life of the foetus but of the mother. Many wonren
do not suffer at all with this symptom.

One of the most constant and important signs of
pregnancy is the change which takes place in the
breasts. At the middle or end of the second month
the mammary glands begin to enlarge, become firmer
to the touch and somewhat sensitive, and other
marked changes occur in the nipple and adjacent
tissue. Its color becomes darker, and the dark ring
about it, known as the areola, acquires a considerable
increase in color, becomes somewhat enlarged, and
presents on its surface many little tubercules, formed
by the enlargement of the peculiar glands which are
found in this locality, each of which is in fact a minia-
ture breast in its structure, and hence ready to take
on the same development as the gland itself when in-
fluenced by the same exciting cause.

In many cases, dark spots appear at this period
upon the face and hands or other parts of the body,
which closely resemble liver spots, but are distin-
guished from them by the fact that they speedily
disappear after childbirth.

By the end of the second month the womb has
acquired a considerable increase in size, in consequence
of which it settles down into the pelvis, giving to the
abdomen an unnatural flatness characteristic of this
condition.

THE MOTHER 399

Between the third and fourth months the foetus
reaches a degree of development sufficient to enable
an acute observer to hear distinctly the beating of
the heart. Observations respecting the foetal heart-
beat and the means for detecting it have been made
at page 98 and need not be repeated here. This is
a certain sign of pregnancy.

" Quickening," is the term applied to the first
movements of the child which are observed by the
mother. The term originated in an age of ignorance
when it was supposed that at the time motion was
first felt, a change took place in the development of
the child by which it acquired individual life, which
it did not possess prior to that time. The fallacy of
this theory has been already shown in this work. It
is necessary only to say that motions are made by
the foetus at a very early period ; but as the uterus
does not become sufficiently enlarged to bring its walls
in contact with the abdominal walls until the fourth
or fifth month, the mother does not observe them
until this period.

The movements are described as resembling the
fluttering of a bird, or strong pulsation. They may
be easily observed by others besides the mother by
placing the hand upon the abdomen for a few mo-
ments. If they do not occur promptly, a slight tap of
the fingers will occasion them, or dipping the hand in
cold water before placing it upon the abdomen.
Sometimes these movements are imitated either pur-
posely or as the result of disease ; when this is the
case, the fact may be discovered by observing that
the means just given for exciting them does not succeed.

400 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

Sometimes women who greatly desire children mis-
take the movements of the intestines occasioned by
flatus or indigestion for those of a foetus. These
imitations of foetal movements are so rare, however,
that this may be considered an almost positive symp-
tom of pregnancy.

By the time the foetal movements begin to be felt,
the uterus has increased in size to such a degree that
there is a very considerable increase in size in the ab-
domen. This symptom must not be relied upon, how-
ever, as constituting a reliable sign of pregnancy, as
there are so many causes which occasion abdominal
enlargements, particularly dropsy and flatulence of
the bowels, both of which conditions have often been
mistaken for pregnancy. The enlargement of preg-
nancy is somewhat peculiar, however, being greater
at the center than the sides, as a rule, and frequently
appearing greatest on the right side. Ovarian tumors
have been mistaken for pregnancy and the reverse.

A case of the latter kind came under our observa-
tion some time ago. We were called to see a lady
who was said to have a tumor, the enlargement of the
abdomen having been pronounced by several physi-
cians to be an ovarian or uterine tumor which should
be removed. A subscription had been raised by the
friends to pay the expenses of the patient to a large
city hospital for the purpose of having the operation
performed. She expected to start for her destination
in a day or two. On examination we found the
usual appearances of pregnancy, although the woman
denied having had any of the usual symptoms, and of
course advised a postponement of the intended jour-

THE MOTHER 401

ney. A few days later, other medical advice was
called, and the physicians present were so completely
deceived that they resorted to the use of a "sound," as
the result of which the woman was in a few hours
obliged to send for a physician who delivered her of
a nearly developed child.

Several cases have occurred in which operations
have been begun for what was supposed to be uterine
or ovarian tumors. In nearly all of these cases the
surgeon has been led astray by the representations of
the patient. It is important that women should be-
come thoroughly instructed on this subject, so as to
be able to give an intelligent account of their symp-
toms and conditions, and to observe more accurately,
thus themselves avoiding deception.

Near the termination of pregnancy the uterus be-
comes so greatly enlarged that it presses seriously
upon the stomach and occasions a return of the nau-
sea and vomiting.

A few weeks before the conclusion of gestation,
the turgid condition of the blood-vessels of the vagina
gives rise to a leucorrhoea.

At the very termination of pregnancy, or just
previous to the final act of parturition, the uterus
again settles down into the pelvis and rapidly under-
goes preparation for the process by which its contents
are expelled.

During the period of gestation the uterus in-
creases to more than twenty times its natural size,
and becomes capable of holding more than five hun-
dred times its normal quantity.

The size of the embryo and foetus at different

402 THE LAMEST GUIDE.

stages, and of the child at birth, have been fully de-
scribed elsewhere in this work. (See page 100.)

HYGIENE OF PREQHHHCY.

During the period of gestation the mother has
the responsibility of another life besides her own;
and it should be known and understood by every
mother that by her own acts during this time not
only her own health is* affected, but the physical,
mental, and even moral well-being of her child.

Sufficient reference has already been made to the
way in which hereditary and ante-natal influences may
affect the unborn infant, and we shall not recapitulate
here, but wish to point out some of the ways in
which a mother may so relate herself to the laws of
Nature as to secure to her offspring the highest possi-
ble realization of the ideal worshiped by the ancient
Greeks, " A sound mind in a sound body."

The condition of pregnancy is in many respects a
critical one. This is true of this period in all species
of animals, but especially with human females, ow-
ing to certain peculiarities of structure to which we
have elsewhere called attention. The necessity for
special care at this time has prompted nearly all na-
tions to surround their females when pregnant, with
special safe-guards from violence and injuries. The
laws of ancient nations, as well as the usages, even
at the present day, of barbarous, tribes, make appar-
ent the fact that the state of pregnancy has always
been regarded by the race as one to be held sacred
from invasion.

THE MOTHER. 403

We will first call attention to measures of regimen
and treatment which conduce to the comfort and
safety of the mother during gestation and while pass-
ing through the process of childbirth, by the aid of
which the pains of parturition and the perils of ma-
ternity may be avoided. Thousands of women look
forward to the termination of pregnancy with con-
stant dread and most dismal forebodings ; and thou-
sands of others adopt every possible device to avoid
pregnancy through fear of the pains and dangers
which are commonly attributed to these physiological
processes. - We hope to offer in these pages sugges-
tions which will afford to such wives assurance of
safety and so great a mitigation of suffering as will
lead them to choose the slight inconveniencies of nor-
mal pregnancy and physiological childbirth rather
than the dismal comfort of a childless old age and the
increased liability to disease which is likely to result
from a childless life.

Parturition without Pain. — For ages woman-
kind has submitted, not always uncomplainingly,
it is true, but with evident hopelessness of any re-
demption, to the pains and perils of maternity, fully
believing that their sufferings were the result of the
curse pronounced upon womankind in consequence of
the transgression of their first mother, Eve. Doubt-
less woman must endure some burdens and sufferings
to the end of time in obedience to the divine man-
date, " in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children " ;
but we are prepared to show that the greater part of
woman's sufferings in the performance of this the
highest of all physical functions is the result, not of

404 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

the curse of Jehovah, but of Dame Fashion. The
perverting and deteriorating influences of civilization
and fashion have entailed upon woman an amount of
sorrow and suffering many fold greater than that
which legitimately results from the penalty of the
first woman's transgression.

We are aware that some people whose moral in-
stincts are perverted, will exclaim in holy horror
against such a doctrine as this, and will even go so
far as to object to the employment of any means for
the purpose of obviating or mitigating the pains and
dangers of childbirth on the ground that in so doing
we are attempting to thwart the purposes of the Al-
mighty.

There have been prominent divines who have
placed themselves in the attitude of objectors on this
ground ; but we shall not be deterred by the absurd
arguments of these over-scrupulous persons from pre-
senting to our readers every known means by which
the discomforts and sufferings attendant upon the
function of maternity may be mitigated, and so far as
possible altogether obviated.

Diet— The kind of food eaten has an important
bearing on the ease and safety with which the func-
tions of childbirth may be performed, as well as the
proper development of the child. All rich and indi-
gestible food should be avoided. The diet should be
simple, and should consist largely of fruits and grains.
Copious water-drinking, especially taking a glass or
two of hot water an hour or two before each meal,
is a most excellent means of guarding against disease
of the kidneys, — one of the most serious of all the

THE MOTHER 405

complications of pregnancy, as well as being an ex-
cellent remedy for indigestion, particularly acid dys-
pepsia, so very common among pregnant women.
Oatmeal, cracked wheat, Graham flour, and the whole-
grain preparations generally, are to be recommended
as the very best means of preventing constipation,
— one of the most common morbid conditions of the
pregnant state. These foods also afford to the sys-
tem of the mother the very best kind of nourish-
ment, providing an adequate supply of salts for the
bones, nitrogenous material for the nerves and mus-
cles, and fat-producing elements to give the round-
ness and plumpness of form which is characteristic of
this condition. The practice of many mothers of liv-
ing upon tidbits of various kinds during this period
cannot be too strongly condemned. Good, wholesome
food is needed, in abundance and sufficient variety,
not only to sustain the mother, but to afford a proper
amount of nourishment of the right kind to the child.
Fine-flour bread, rich sauces and pastry, confection-
ary and everything of like character should be scru-
pulously avoided. No£ more than three meals a day
should be taken, and these should be at regular
hours.

The too free use of animal food during the period
of gestation is also to be condemned. The stimulat-
ing character of such diet has an injurious influence
upon the nervous system, and, in addition, its highly
nitrogenous character increases the liability to acute
inflammation of the kidneys, a most serious affection
which is liable to make its appearance near the ter-
mination of pregnancy.

40G THE LADIES' GUIDE.

The use of tea and coffee is justly condemned by
che wise physician, especially during pregnancy, as
the abdominal nervous irritability present at this time
is very easily increased by any morbid agent of a
stimulating character. They are also serious impedi-
ments to digestion, and their use increases the ten-
dency to " morning sickness," one of the unpleas-
ant and sometimes most serious complications of
pregnancy.

The same is to be said still more emphatically of
beer, ale, wine, and spirituous liquors of ever descrip-
tion. The idea that the woman needs something of a
stimulating character to " keep her up," is a serious
error. Nothing of this sort can be used without posi-
tive detriment to both mother and child. The only
thing needed to sustain the prospective mother and
prepare her for the ordeal before her, is^ood healthy
food, and obedience to all the laws of health. Stimu-
lants give an appearance of strength without the
reality. A person feels stronger under their in-
fluence, while in reality weaker by the loss of nerve
power which unnatural excitement always involves.
A long-continued course of stimulation, even of a
mild character, will so weaken the nervous system as
to utterly unfit a woman to endure the ordeal of the
final termination of pregnancy, and a vast amount of
mischief has been occasioned in this way. The only
time when stimulants of any sort are needed is at the
very close of pregnancy, when the system is taxed to
the uttermost by the efforts of childbirth ; and if the
system has been previously accustomed to the use of
stimulants, it will not respond at the moment when

THE MOTHER 407

an extraordinary exhibition of nerve power is de-
# manded, the vital resources having been previously
exhausted by the habitual demands made upon it.
This matter we consider of very great importance,
and worthy of the most serious consideration on the
part of mothers.

What has been said of the common alcoholic liq-
uors is equally true of hard cider, not always regarded
as a stimulant, and especially of the various brands
of " bitters," all of which contain alcohol, some of
them in considerable quantity. We do not except
even "temperance bitters," which we have proved to
contain as much alcohol as many brands of lager beer.
"Bitters" as a class are filthy concoctions of bad
whisky and various cheap herbs of no real value ex-
cept as a means of enriching the pockets of their mer-
cenary manufacturers.

The idea recently advanced, that food which is
rich in bone-making material should be avoided dur-
ing the pregnant state, we consider a mischievous
error which ought to be corrected. It is really dan-
gerous to mother as well as child to follow this ad-
vice, since Nature is not easily thwarted in the
attainment of her purposes ; and when bone-making
material is needed for the child, if an adequate supply
is not afforded from some other source, she will not
hesitate to seize upon such material which has already
been deposited in the system of the mother, thus
damaging, sometimes to a serious extent, the osseous
system of the mother for the benefit of the developing
child whose interests are sometimes made paramount
to those of the parent. The notion that labor is made

408 THE LADIE& GUIDE.

more severe or dangerous by supplying the child with
such nourishment as its proper development really
requires is so contrary to the conclusions which would
be dictated by ordinary good sense that we are as-
tonished to see it given any credence. The bony
system of the child will not be developed to such an
extent as to furnish any impediment to parturition,
even when bone-making material is provided in great-
est abundance, unless there is some morbid condition ;
and when this is the case — and it cannot be determined
beforehand — the omission of certain articles of diet
will not be likely to affect the diseased condition to a
sufficient degree to make any appreciable difference
with the result. Fortunately, also, this morbid devel-
opment of the child before birth is so exceedingly rare
that if real benefit were to be derived from a special
dietary excluding the whole-grain preparations and
other foods rich in bone-making material, it would not
be worth while to starve nine hundred and ninety-
nine embryonic human beings for the doubtful ben-
efit which might be afforded to the mother of the onq-
thousandth.

"Longings " — The craving which pregnant wo-
men often experience for various articles of food can-
not be regarded as an expression of a real want upon
the part of the system, for very often the articles
most eagerly desired are those of a positively injuri-
ous character ; however, it is generally best to yield
to the demands of the capricious appetite so far as
can be done without doing positive injury to the
digestion or the interests of the child, especially if
there is much nausea and loss of appetite. We feel

THE MOTHER 409

confident, however, that in the majority of cases the
craving is not so strong that it cannot be readily con-
trolled by a little determination on the part of the
prospective mother, and when the article craved is
manifestly an improper one, the will should be set
actively at work to resist the morbid appetite.

The popular notion that if a craving of this char-
acter is not gratified, the child will be marked in some
peculiar manner corresponding to the nature of the
craving, either mentally or physically, is an error.
The occasional instances of seeming confirmation of
the notion are nothing more than Coincidences. We
refer particularly to the supposition that " mothers'
marks," so-called, which often resemble berries of va-
rious kinds, are produced by a craving on the part of
the mother for the variety of fruit which they happen
to resemble. It is of course possible that a pro-
longed and absorbing " longing " on the part of the
mother for any particular article might so affect the
mental and nervous systems of the child as to develop
in it a similar appetite ; but we do not think the in-
fluence of such mental conditions on the part of the
mother are usually sufficiently prolonged to produce
any such effects. " Longings " are usually very ca-
pricious in character, and the constant change coun-
teracts the danger of the formatioh of a morbid ten-
dency in the child.

The appetite of the mother is often so delicate
and capricious that special pains must t^ taken to
provide such food as will be inviting and palatable ;
but we do not approve of the common practice of hu-
moring every whim and fancy which the mind may

410 THE LADIES GUIDE.

happen to fasten upon. A morbid and unnatural ap-
petite, if strong and not controlled by the will, may-
be most easily gotten rid of, sometimes, by being grati-
fied, provided the gratification is not continued. If
the "longing" is of a very tantalizing and teasing
character, this means may be tried as a last resort;
but care must be taken that the use of the injurious
article is not continued any length of time.

Under a healthful regimen, mental, moral, and
physical, " longings " are not usually difficult to con-
trol, and seldom become at all troublesome. Those
in whom they are the most imperious are usually
persons who have habitually yielded to the demands
of appetite, and who are of an impulsive disposition
and have not acquired the art of self-control. The
cultivation of firmness of character and subordination
of the emotions and impulses to the reason and judg-
ment are the very best measures to be recommended
for the prevention of this one of the inconveniences
involved by the pregnant state.

Exercise. — The advantages to be derived from
the taking of regular, systematic exercise during the
whole period of pregnancy are so great that no wo-
man, whatever her station in life, can afford to ignore
this means of securing a safe and speedy termination
of the parturient process. Nothing should be more
unstintedly condemned by physicians than the habit
many women form when pregnant, of yielding to the
languor \#iich is often very oppressive, and spend-
ing most of their time, especially during the later
months of pregnancy, in idleness and inactivity. A
pregnant woman who spends most of her time upon

THE MOTHER. 411

the sofa or in an easy chair, may look forward with
certainty to a childbirth, the dangers and sufferings
of which will be greatly increased by the bad bodily
conditions arising from her indolence. No class of
women pass through this trying ordeal so rapidly and
so easily as those whose station in life requires of
them a daily use of the muscles to such a degree as
to maintain good muscular tone and bodily activity.
We have often known washer-women who worked up
to the very day of confinement able to resume their
occupation the day following without inconvenience,
although contrary to the advice of their physicians.
The ease with which the negro women of the South
give birth to their children has long been remarked ;
and those who are familiar with the wild native tribes
of our country assure us that an Indian woman
thinks little of the inconveniences of childbirth, and if
on a journey stops only for a few hours for rest, and
to properly care for her infant, and then is ready to
mount her pony and proceed to her destination. The
same remark is true of other savage tribes. It is
chiefly among the middle and higher classes of so-
ciety that the pains of childbirth are felt and the dan-
gers of maternity experienced. This fact is almost
conclusive evidence that the habits of luxury and
idleness which are so common among the women of
these classes are the chief causes of making a pro-
cess which is naturally attended by little suffering
and danger, so extremely painful and .even haz-
ardous that it is looked forward to with indescribable
dread and avoided by every possible means.

The obstetrical process is chiefly muscular in

412 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

character. The child is expelled from the womb by
the contractions of the womb itself, aided by the ac-
tion of the muscles of the abdomen. Nearly all the
muscles of the trunk are involved in the process, if
not in direct action upon the womb or its contents, in
so fixing the points of attachment of other muscles
as to enable them to bring their whole force to bear
in direct expulsive efforts. Hence it is apparent that
good muscular ability is one of the most excellent
preparations which a woman can possess for the easy
and speedy performance of this act.

A woman whose muscles have wasted away in
idleness has a long, lingering, painful childbirth be-
cause of the weak and inefficient character of the
muscular efforts which she is able to make. Hour
after hour the womb makes vigorous contractions
which are ineffectual because not seconded by the ac-
tion of other muscles which are weak and powerless
from disuse, and the unaided organ becomes ex-
hausted before it has accomplished any real progress.
Thus the process lingers till the agony becomes so ex-
treme and unendurable that the physician is obliged
to come to the rescue with a pair of forceps and ex-
tract the child by force, running the risk of mutilat-
ing its features, compressing its delicate brain to such
a degree as to injure its mental development, or even
destroying its life entirely, to say nothing of the risk
of lacerating or tearing the neck of the womb and
other soft, parts which have not been properly dilated
on account of the absence of the successive stages
which should precede the final one of delivery. At
the present day no obstetrician thinks of going to a

THE MOTHER 413

confinement without a pair of forceps in his visiting
case, and many physicians whose practice is chiefly
among the higher classes, rarely leave the lying-in
chamber without making use of the obstetrical forceps.

Two centuries ago forceps were not known, and
were rarely needed. The conditions which demanded
the use of such an instrument were so rare that their
necessity was not recognized. To-day their use is
becoming yearly more necessary, and the prospect is
that at the present rate of progress in this direction
the children of the next generation will nearly all be
brought into the world by the aid of this mechanical
means.

Some persons cry out against this increasing use
of the forceps as though the instrument were a means
of torture invented by the doctors for the purpose of
aggravating the sufferings (tf womankind, — a most
heartless insinuation against the character of the
most generous and self-sacrificing of all professions.
The forceps are not an invention made and utilized
by the medical profession for any other purpose than
the mitigation of sufferings which women bring upon
themselves by inattention to the immutable laws of
nature.

If women had always lived physiologically, it is
probable that such a thing as the obstetric forceps, or
such a person as a man midwife, would not to-day exist.
The fact is the departures from healthful modes of
life have entailed upon woman so much suffering and
have encompassed about the process of child-bearing
such a host of dangers and possible complications,
that it has become necessary that the best intellects

414 THE LADIES GUIDE.

of the world should bend their energies to the devis-
ing of means to mitigate the sufferings and lessen the
dangers to both mother and child in the crowning
process in the procreation of the species.

From the earliest period of pregnancy moderate
but regular and systematic exercise should be daily
taken. Walking is a most excellent form of exercise
for women in this condition, as it calls into gentle ac-
tivity nearly all the muscles of the trunk as well as
those of the limbs. Light calisthenics are also very
useful. Special forms of exercise, such as will
strengthen the muscles of the abdomen and back, par-
ticularly, are in the highest degree desirable. Some
of the most valuable of these will be found in the ap-
pendix.

Occupation of mind as well as body is very desir-
able during the whole period of pregnancy, and es-
pecially toward the latter end of the period. On
this account the exercise afforded by ordinary house-
hold duties constitutes one of the best forms of
exercise. But it should not be forgotten that the am-
ple supply of fresh air and sunshine which can be ob-
tained only by exercise in the open air is absolutely
essential to the maintenance of the high degree of bod-
ily health which is demanded for the perfect accom-
plishment of the object of the process through which the
woman is passing. When long walks cannot be taken,
carriage riding may be substituted. These systematic
exercises should be taken up to the very day of con-
finement, care being exercised, of course, to avoid vio-
lent exertion of all kinds, and especially about the
third and seventh months, particularly if there has pre-

THE MOTHER 415

viously been a premature birth or a miscarriage, the
latter being most likely to occur at the third month
and the former at the seventh.

Massage. — When the patient is for any reason
unable to take any of the forms of exercise suggested,
passive or active-passive movements may be substi-
tuted. Massage and Swedish movements constitute
the best forms of passive movements for use in these
cases. Such of these movements as we consider
most useful will be found described in the appendix.
Care should also be taken with these movements not
to so over-do them as to excite premature action in the
womb. There is, however, far less danger from this
cause than is generally supposed.

Dress. — The evils of fashionable dress have been
quite fully considered in a preceding section of this
work, and hence we do not need to amplify upon the
same subject here ; but we wish to impress the fact
that all the objections urged against the several evils
involved in fashionable modes of dressing are still
more cogent when applied to the condition of preg-
nancy. For a pregnant woman to wear clothing tight
about the waist is so manifest an outrage upon Nature
that the practice was prohibited by law by an ancient
Grecian legislator, and ought to be by modern legisla-
tures. Whatever a woman has a right to do to her
own body, she has no right to blight for all time the
prospects of another being possessed of individual
rights as well as herself, although yet a prisoner
within her own body. The practice of some women
in lacing themselves all through the period of preg-
nancy for the purpose of " preserving their form," is

416 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

nothing short of absolute cruelty, not only to them-
selves, but to their unborn infants. Such a practice
is so manifestly outrageous that it can scarcely be
condoned. Nothing should be worn about the body
of a pregnant woman of a close-fitting character. The
garments should be perfectly loose. Such a thing as
a corset should not be thought of, although now and
then an elastic abdominal supporter or a wide bandage
made to fit the abdomen may be necessary. The
muscles of the back and abdomen should be so
strengthened by exercise that they will be prepared
to sustain themselves without the aid of " bones " or
anything of the sort. The fact that the need of such
aids is felt is evidence of the strongest character
that their use would be injurious and that what is
really required is a course of muscular training by
which the weakness may be overcome.

The remarks which have elsewhere been made
respecting the equable protection of the body and the
clothing of the feet, are all particularly applicable to
the pregnant condition, but need not be repeated
here.

The underclothing should be of soft flannel, by
preference. If woolen fabrics are not well tolerated by
the skin, as is sometimes the case, thin silk or cotton
garments may be worn next the skin with thicker
woolen garments outside ; but when the skin is not
irritable, woolen next the skin is much to be pre-
ferred to any other fabric.

A word should be said in this connection about
the relation of clothing to the breasts. The com-
pression of the breasts by corsets is often the cause

THE MOTHER 417

of great injury and suffering. The long-continued
pressure causes some degree of atrophy of the gland
and also obliteration of some of the ducts so that the
proper secretion of milk may be made impossible, and
if the secretion is established, abscesses are likely to
form, causing " broken breasts " and all the attendant
suffering and subsequent deformity. Compression
also frequently causes so great a depression of the
nipple as to make nursing difficult or impossible, a
condition which often requires a long and persevering
treatment to overcome, and may not be remediable
even by this means.

The wearing of " pads " over the breasts is also a
practice to be condemned, as by this means the heat
is retained and an unnatural condition produced which
renders the gland susceptible to disease and less
able to perform its proper function. The unnaturally
sensitive condition of the gland during pregnancy
makes these facts particularly important at that time.

Bathing. — The influence of baths in maintaining
a healthy condition of the system in general has been
so well understood for years that we need not say
more on this point than to impress the importance of
giving special attention to the maintenance of a
healthy action of the skin by frequent bathing. A
general bath should be taken at least twice a week,
and every other day is not too often for most persons.
Special attention should be given to local cleanliness,
as the increased blood supply of the parts increases
the local secretion and makes more frequent cleansing
necessary, while under ordinary circumstances a local
bath with fine castile soap and water may not be re-

418 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

quired more than two or three times a week. During
gestation such a bath is needed at least daily. No
fear need be felt that the bath will disturb the
contents of the womb. The bath may be taken with
an ordinary syringe, care being taken not to employ
more than very gentle force, and that the tempera-
ture of the water is not above 100° F. nor below 90°
F. The best means for taking a local douche is the
syphon or fountain syringe. For further directions,
see appendix. A little soap should be used, and if
there is considerable leucorrhoea, certain remedies,
as elsewhere directed

Aside from these baths, which are useful in a gen-
eral way, other baths may be taken which are of very
great value as means of preparing the system for
easy childbirth. Among the most useful of these is
the sitz bath, directions for taking which will be
found in the appendix. The temperature of the
water should be about 94° F. at the beginning of the
bath, and should be cooled to about 88° F. at the
conclusion, after continuing ten minutes to half an
hour. The warm vaginal douche taken in connection
with the bath, the quantity used being one to three
or four gallons of water at a temperature as nearly as
possible that of the body, is a most valuable additional
means of obviating many of the dangers of childbirth,
$nd facilitating the exit of the new being into the
world. These two baths combined will accomplish
more to lessen the suffering of childbirth than all
other known means. They are especially serviceable
in cases in which there has been previous disease of
the womb. We should add in this connection the cau-

THE MOTHER. 419

tion that the temperature should not vary much from
that of the body, as either a hot or a cold douche
might occasion a miscarriage.

The baths above described should be taken during
the early months of pregnancy, two or three times a
week, and daily or even twice a day during the last few
weeks. We have seen the most satisfactory results
follow the employment of these simple measures when
perseveringly used, even when the same persons had
on previous occasions suffered extremely.

Care of the Breasts. — By proper care of the
breasts during the few months preceding childbirth,
much suffering during the nursing period may be
saved to the mother, and dangers to the child may
be avoided. As previously observed, the breasts
should not be compressed by tight clothing, nor heated
by " pads." They should be protected from pressure
and from overheating. The effect of pressure is to de-
press the nipple so that it cannot be grasped by the
mouth of the child, thus making nursing impossible,
and also, when severe and long-continued, to obliter-
ate the ducts of some of the gland lobules, thus con-
fining the milk secretion and giving rise to abscesses
or " broken breast " after childbirth.

When tender, as is often the case during preg-
nancy, a hot fomentation or a hot poultice may be ap-
plied. Pain accompanied by excessive heat may be*
relieved by the application of cool compresses.

When the nipple is small and retracted, it should
be drawn out daily by the fingers of the mother or
nurse, and friction and manipulation should be em-

420 THE LADIES GUIDE.

ployed so as to secure a proper degree of develop-
ment to prepare it for the child.

When the breasts are small and undeveloped, and
there is apprehension that they will fail to supply
the necessary nourishment for the child, daily manipu-
lation with the hands should be practiced, together
with the daily application of alternate hot and cold
sponging or compresses. By this means much can be
done to overcome deficiency of development and often
to a remarkable degree.

When the surface of the nipple or of the breast
in the immediate vicinity is sore or tender, some
hardening lotion should be used, as alum or borax in
whisky, decoction of oak bark or solution of tannin,
or sulphate of zinc solution. See appendix for
prescriptions.

Hygiene of Ante-Natal Life. — The influence of
the mother upon the child during gestation has al-
ready been referred to under the head of " Heredity,"
and the facts there presented need not be repeated
here. We wish, however, to impress still further a few
points, and especially to call attention to the fact that
since it is evident that accidental influences and cir-
cumstances acting upon the mother affect the child
either favorably or unfavorably, it becomes the duty
of the mother to surround herself with such influences
#and to supply such conditions and circumstances as
she knows will be for the best good of her develop-
ing infant. In this work she should be aided so far
as possible by her husband and by all those about
her who have an opportunity to render her assist-
ance. Work of so important a character as this, the

THE MOTHER. 421

influence of which can only be estimated in eternity,
such work demands the earnest and prayerful atten-
tion of every prospective mother. The self-denial
which must be exercised, the subordination of the ap-
petites, desires, tastes, and convenience to the inter-
ests of another being which the duties of the mother
involve, afford a moral discipline which if rightly ap-
preciated must result in good to the mother as well
as to the child, and, like every act of duty in life, no
matter how remotely relating to the individual, reacts
upon the doer through the reflex influence of mental
and moral discipline.

The special influence of the mother begins with
the moment of conception. In fact it is possible that
the mental condition at the time of the generative
act has much to do with determining the character of
the child, though it is generally conceded that at
this time the influence of the father is greater than
that of the mother. Any number of instances have
occurred in which a drunken father has impressed
upon his child the condition of his nervous system to
such a degree as to render permanent in the child
the staggering gait and maudlin manner which in his
own case was a transient condition induced by the
poisonous influence of alcohol. A child born as the
result of a union in which both parents were in a
state of beastly intoxication was idiotic.

Another fact might be added to impress the im-
portance that the new being should be supplied from
the very beginning of its existence with the very best
conditions possible. Indeed, it is desirable to go
back still further, and secure a proper preparation

422 THE LADIES GUIDE.

for the important function of maternity. The quali-
ties which go to make up individuality of character
are the result of the summing up of a long* line of in-
fluences, too subtle and too varied to admit of full
control, but still, to some degree at least, subject to
management. The dominance of law is nowhere
more evident than in the relation of ante-natal influ-
ences to character.

The hap-hazard way in which human beings are
generated leaves no room for surprise that the race
should deteriorate. No stock-breeder would expect
anything but ruin should he allow his animals to prop-
agate wTith no attention to their physical conditions
or previous preparation.

Finding herself in a pregnant condition, the
mother should not yield to the depressing influences
which often crowd upon her. The anxieties and
fears which women sometimes yield themselves to,
grow with encouragement, until they become so ab-
sorbed as to be capable of producing a profoundly
evil impression on the child. The true mother who
is prepared for the functions of maternity, will wel-
come the evidence of pregnancy, and joyfully entei
upon the Heaven-given task of molding a human
character, of bringing into the world a new being
whose life-history may involve the destinies of na-
tions, or change the current of human thought for
generations to come.

The pregnant mother should cultivate cheerfulness
of mind and calmness of temper, but should avoid ex-
citements of all kinds, such as theatrical performances,
public contests of various descriptions, etc. Anger.

THE MOTHER. 423

envy, irritability of temper, and, in fact, all the pas-
sions and propensities should be held in check. The
fickleness of desire and the constantly varying whims
which characterize the pregnant state in some women
should not be regarded as uncontrollable, and to be
yielded to as the only means of appeasing them.
The mother should be gently encouraged to resist such
tendencies when they become at all marked, and to
assist her in the effort, her husband should endeavor
to engage her mind by interesting conversation, read-
ing, and various harmless and pleasant diversions.

If it is desired that the child should possess a
special aptitude for any particular art or pursuit, dur-
ing the period of pregnancy the mother's mind should
be constantly directed in this channel. If artistic
taste or skill is the trait desired, the mother should be
surrounded by works of art of a high order of merit.
She should read art, think art, talk, and write about
art, and if possible, herself engage in the close prac-
tical study of some one or more branches of art, as
painting, drawing, etching, or modeling. If ability
for authorship is desired, then the mother should de-
vote herself assiduously to literature. It is not
claimed that by following these suggestions any
mother can make of her children great artists or au-
thors at will ; but it is certain that by this means the
greatest possibilities in individual cases can be at-
tained ; and it is certain that decided results have
been secured by close attention to the principles laid
down. It should be understood, however, that not
merely a formal and desultory effort on the part of
the mother is what is required. The theme selected

424 THE LADIES* GUIDE.

must completely absorb her mind. It must be the one
idea of her waking thoughts and the model on which
is formed the dreams of her sleeping hours.

The question of diet during pregnancy as before
stated is a vitally important one as regards the inter-
ests of the child. A diet into which enters largely
such unwholesome articles as mustard, pepper, hot
sauces, spices, and other stimulating condiments, engen-
ders a love for stimulants in the disposition of the in-
fant. Tea and coffee, especially if used to excess,
undoubtedly tend in the same direction. We firmly
believe that we have, in the facts first stated, the key
to the constant increase in the consumption of ardent
spirits. The children of the present generation in-
herit from their condiment^consuming, tea-, coffee-,
and liquor-drinking, and tobacco-using parents, not
simply a readiness for the acquirement of the habits
mentioned, but a propensity .for the use of stimulants
which in persons of weak will-power and those whose
circumstances are not the most favorable, becomes
irresistible.

The present generation is also suffering in con-
sequence of the impoverished diet of its parents.
The modern custom of bolting the flour from the dif-
ferent grains has deprived millions of infants and
children of the necessary supply of bone-making mate-
rial, thus giving rise to a greatly increased frequency
of the various diseases which arise from imperfect
bony structure, as rickets, caries, premature decay of
the teeth, etc. The proper remedy is the disuse of
fine-flour bread and all other bolted grain prepara-
tions. Graham-flour bread, oatmeal, cracked wheat,

THE MOTHER. 425

and similar preparations, should be relied upon as the
leading articles of diet. Supplemented by milk, the
whole-grain preparations constitute a complete form of
nourishment, and render a large amount of animal food
not only unnecessary but really harmful on account
of its stimulating character. It is by no means so
necessary as is generally supposed that meat, fish,
fowl, and flesh in various forms should constitute a
large element of the dietary of the pregnant or nurs-
ing mother in order to furnish adequate nourishment
for the developing child. We have seen the happiest
results follow the employment of a strictly vegetarian
dietary, and do not hesitate to advise moderation in
the use of flesh food, though we do not recommend
the entire discontinuance of its use by the pregnant
mother who has been accustomed to use it freely.

A nursing mother should at once suspend nursing
if she discovers that pregnancy has again occurred.
The continuance of nursing under such circumstances
is to the disadvantage of three individuals, the mother,
the infant at the breast, and the developing child.

Sexual indulgence during pregnancy may be sus-
pended with decided benefit to both mother and child.
The most ancient medical writers call attention to the
fact that by the practice of continence during gesta-
tion, the pains of childbirth are greatly mitigated.
The injurious influences upon the child of the gratifi-
cation of the passions during the period when its
character is being formed, is undoubtedly much
greater than is usually supposed. We have no doubt
that this is a common cause of the transmission of
libidinous tendencies to the child ; and that the ten-

426 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

dency to abortion is induced by sexual indulgence has
long been a well established fact. The females of
most animals resolutely resist the advances of the
males during this period, being guided in harmony
with natural law by their natural instincts which have
been less perverted in them than in human beings.
The practice of continence during pregnancy is also
enforced in the harems of the East, which fact leads
to the practice of abortion among women of this class
who are desirous of remaining the special favorites of
the common husband.

The general health of the mother must be kept
up in every way. It is especially important that the
regularity of the bowels should be maintained.
Proper diet and as much physical exercise as can be
taken are the best means for accomplishing this.
When constipation is allowed to exist, the infant as
well as the mother suffers. The effete products
which should be promptly removed from the body,
being long retained, are certain to find their way back
into the system again, poisoning not only the blood
of the mother but that of the developing foetus.

THE DISORDERS OF PREGHHNCY,

The pregnant condition is one which is especially
liable to certain derangements of the system, some
of which are wholly peculiar to this state, while others
are frequently the result of other causes: It cannot
be justly supposed that these morbid conditions are
necessary accompaniments of the function of mater-
nity, for they do not appear when the function is per-

TEE MOTHER 427

formed in a perfectly physiological manner. They
must be regarded as among the results of the per-
verted state into which the race has fallen, and in
which there have been great departures in a great
variety of ways from the normal conditions of the
race. It §hould be added that a careful observance
of all the suggestions made in the preceding section
will effectually prevent nearly all the disorders to.
which we here. call attention.

"Morning Sickness/9 — This is one of the earli-
est, and sometimes one of the most serious, complica-
tions of pregnancy, occurring usually only in the ear-
lier and later months of pregnancy. The nausea,
sometimes accompanied by vomiting, most often oc-
curs in the morning just after rising.

Treatment. — This difficulty is often very obsti-
nate, but very simple measures will give relief in the
majority of cases.

Give the patient something to eat before getting
up in the morning, as a bowl of brown bread and milk.
Food should be taken at least fifteen or twenty min-
utes before attempting to get up, and after rising, the
patient should dress quickly and go out in the open
air for a walk, unless the weather forbids.

The abdominal bandage is a very excellent means
of relieving this unpleasant symptom. It should be
worn continually for a week or two both day and
night and then should be omitted during the night.
Daily sitz baths are also of great advantage. In
many cases, electricity relieves this symptom very
promptly. When nearly all kinds of food are re-
jected, milk and lime-water may be employed. In

428 THE LADIES1 GUIDE.

very urgent cases in which the vomiting cannot be
repressed, and the life of the patient is threatened,
the stomach should be given entire rest? the patient
being nourished by means of nutritive injections.
(See appendix.) Fomentations over the stomach and
swallowing of small bits of ice, are sometimes effec-
tive when other measures fail.

It is claimed by some gynecologists of large ex-
perience that this symptom is the result of disease of
the neck of the womb, particularly abrasion. It is
recommended that slight dilitation of the os-uteri
should be employed. This should of course be done
by a physician or an experienced nurse.

Acidity and Flatulence. — When there is muck
acidity or flatulence, conditions which are very com-
mon indeed, vegetables and starchy foods should
be avoided, together with butter, sugar, pastry, and
sweets of all descriptions. Such persons should
also for a time avoid the use of raw fruits and
soups, and should refrain from taking much fluid
at meals. The use of hot water in considerable
quantity about three hours after each meal is a most
excellent remedy for this condition, the effect being
to cleanse the stomach from its souring, fermenting
contents and to stimulate the sluggish, digestive pro-
cesses to more vigorous action. The use of hot milt
at the time of eating is also to be recommended in
these cases. Both the water and the milk should be
taken at as high a temperature as possible without
discomfort.

Various disorders of digestion are exceeding*?
common during this period, such as heartburn, p)70"

THE MOTHER. 429

sis, etc., most of which can be quite promptly re-
lieved by the adoption of such dietetic measures as
are required by the particular condition present. Ail
of these conditions, with their proper treatment, are
thoroughly discussed in a volume by the author en-
titled, "Digestion and Dyspepsia," to which the
reader is respectfully referred, as our space is too
limited to allow of the full consideration of the sub-
ject here.

Constipation. — This condition is so very common
that we cannot omit noticing it here, although we
have treated the subject more fully in the work re
ferred to above. In many cases relief will be afforded
by the adoption of a diet composed chiefly of fruits
and grains. The large use of flesh meats and of fine-
flour bread is one of the most common causes of in-
activity of the bowels during pregnancy. The coarse
grain preparations should be freely used, and also
vegetables, when the patient is able to digest them.
Figs, stewed prunes, and other fruits of a laxative
character, if freely used by the patient, will gener-
ally obviate the necessity for other means. Drink-
ing a glass of cold water before breakfast is an ex-
cellent means of securing a regular evacuation of the
bowels.

In case dietetic measures are insufficient, the
enema may be resorted to. As small a quantity of
water should be used as will secure the desired
movement. It is also better to employ water at a
moderately low temperature, so as to keep the blood-
vessels of the part well toned, as a means of prevent-
ing hemorrhoids. A very excellent plan by which

430 THE LADIES' GUIDE,

the dependence upon the enema may be somewhat
avoided, or overcome, is to inject into the rectum at
night, just before retiring, two tablespoonfuls of
water containing ten drops of spirits of camphor. This
will often provoke a movement of the bowels at once.
If the fluid is retained over night, it will be quite
certain to secure a prompt movement, at least if the
same quantity of camphor water is used as an enema
soon after breakfast. A tablespoonful of glycerine in
three or four spoonfuls of water used in the same
manner is equally useful and often more agreeable to
the patient.

Light massage to the bowels, together with exer-
cises of the trunk such as are recommended for the
purpose of strengthening the abdominal muscles (see
appendix), are of great value in relieving this un-
pleasant symptom. The same is to some degree true
of walking and gentle calisthenic exercises.

It is very unwise to become dependent upon the
use of the enema, and hence a persevering effort
should be made to secure a healthy activity of the
bowels by regulation of the diet, and by the employ-
ment of the other means suggested. The same re-
mark is still more emphatically true respecting the
use of the laxatives of various sorts so commonly re-
sorted to by pregnant women. The habit thus
formed is very often difficult to overcome, and the re-
sulting mischief more than can be well described.

Hemorrhoids, or Piles. — This condition is the
usual accompaniment of the preceding, of which it is
commonly the result, although it is sometimes fairly
attributable to the pressure exerted upon the blood-

THE MOTHER 431

vessels of the lower bowels by the pregnant womb.
The suffering from this source is often very great,
constituting one of the most serious inconveniences
of the pregnant state.

Treatment : Keep the bowels loose by means of
the measures mentioned for the relief of constipation.
Linseed tea is especially serviceable for an emollient
enema. If the constipation is very obstinate, a soap
and water enema may be employed to empty the
bowels. (See appendix.)

The pain of hemorrhoids may generally be re-
lieved by the application of a hot fomentation. A
large, soft sponge is useful for the purpose. The
daily sitz bath which should be taken during the
later months of pregnancy is a most excellent means
not only of allaying the pain by relieving local con-
gestion, but also overcoming the tendency to consti-
pation. When the pain of moving the bowels is very
great, the patient will find great relief by sitting over
a vessel half-filled with hot water for a few minutes
before making the attempt. In some cases it is bet-
ter that the water should be in immediate contact
with the body.

When there is hemorrhage from the bowels, or
" bleeding piles," an ointment consisting of a dram of
tannin dissolved in an ounce of vaseline should be
thoroughly applied after each movement, care being
taken to introduce the ointment to the point at which
the bleeding occurs.

Disorders of the Bladder. — The bladder is often
the seat of troublesome affections during the pregnant
condition. Abnormal irritability, pain in passing

432 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

urine, inability to retain the urine a proper length of
time, and the opposite condition, or failure of the blad-
der to evacuate its contents as frequently or com-
pletely as proper, are among the most common troubles
of this sort. Irritability of the bladder is most gen-
erally due to neglect to empty the bladder of its con-
tents with proper frequency and regularity. In some
cases, the bladder troubles are due to displacements of
the womb existing before pregnancy occurred. This
is especially true of incontinence of urine, which gener-
ally results in these cases from pressure upon the
bladder by the enlarged and displaced womb.

Irritability of the bladder is generally relieved by
copious water-drinking, the free use of fruit, and re-
lieving the organ regularly once in five or six hours.
The recumbent position is the best remedy for incon-
tinence of urine. Sometimes this difficulty may be
prevented by the use of the abdominal bandage for
the purpose of holding the uterus in place. Reten-
tion can often be overcome by the employment of
the warm sitz bath, the bladder being relieved
while in the bath. Another very efficient means of
overcoming retention is the warm vaginal douche.
The temperature should be as nearly as possible 100°
F., the internal temperature of the body. The blad-
der will generally evacuate itself during the admin-
istration of the douche. A hot enema is also of serv-
ice in these cases.

Disorders of the Womb. — The occurrence of
pregnancy in a woman suffering with chronic disease
of the womb is generally a most unhappy event, not-
withstanding the fact that a cure is sometimes sought

THE MOTHER 433

through this means. Disease of the womb greatly
increases the perils of the pregnant condition, and is
not likely, in the majority of cases, to be at all bene-
fited by the changes induced by pregnancy.

Prolapsus and retroversion are conditions which
often require the attention of a physician to relieve.
If begun in time, however, great benefit may be de-
rived from the postural treatment described in the
appendix, and particularly the knee-chest position
illustrated on Plate XII.

Vaginal Discharges. — The discharges which
take place from the vagina during pregnancy are
quite various. The most common is a profuse mu-
cous discharge or leucorrhcea, the best remedy for
which is the daily use of vaginal injections adminis-
tered with the syphon or fountain syringe. The
water should be at the temperature of the body, and
little force should be employed. The various reme-
dies elsewhere recommended for leucorrhoea are use-
ful in this form of the affection.

Occasionally strong gushes of a watery fluid
occur, followed for some time by a dribbling of the
same. The remedy for this difficulty is complete
rest in bed. Fluid discharges occurring during preg-
nancy should receive prompt attention, as they indi-
cate a liability to miscarriage.

Itching Genitals. — This affection is usually an
accompaniment of an acrid leucorrhoeal discharge.
The treatment is the same as elsewhere described for
the same affection.

Varicose or Enlarged Veins. — This condition of
the veins of the lower extremities is a very frequent

434 THE LADIES GUIDE.

complication of pregnancy, and is often the source of
much suffering and inconvenience to the patient not
only during the pregnancy, but afterward. Hence it
should receive careful attention. The cause is me-
chanical, being found in the pressure of the heavy
uterus against the large veins which return to the
heart through the abdomen the blood gathered by
the veins of the lower extremities. Sometimes a
similar enlargement of the veins of the external or-
gans of generation on one or both sides also occurs.

Treatment : The limbs should be supported by
means of an elastic bandage, or elastic silk stocking,
whenever the patient is on her feet. A flannel band-
age made of strips of flannel torn across the web so
as to give some elasticity may be used in place of the
rubber bandage, though less efficient. The bandage
should be applied evenly, from the toes upward, as
high as needed, even extending to the body if nec-
essary. When the patient is sitting or lying down,
the feet should be elevated a little higher than the
hips if possible. If the labia become very much
swollen, the patient should remain as much as possi-
ble in a horizontal position, in the meantime pressing
out the blood from the distended veins by steady
compression with the hand. A pad and bandage can
be adjusted in such a way as to answer the same
purpose.

Dropsical Swelling of the Feet and Limbs. —
General dropsy, indicated by puffiness of the face
and swelling of the limbs so that pitting is produced
by pressure with the finger, is a very serious compli-
cation of pregnancy, indicating probable disease of the

THE MOTHER' 43."

kidneys. This condition should receive prompt atten-
tion from a competent physician, to whom should be
given a specimen of the urine for examination. The
most useful remedies are such as will induce active
perspiration, as the hot-air bath, the wet-sheet pack
the blanket pack, etc. The patient should be allowed
no animal food except milk, the diet being made up
chiefly of fruits and grains. When the swelling is
confined to the feet and limbs, it may be treated by
means of the bandage, or the elastic silk stocking as
directed for varicose veins of the limbs.

Rubbing of the feet and limbs in an upward direc-
tion is a means of treatment which should not be neg-
lected. The rubbing should be administered two or
three times daily, and for half an hour at a time.

Neuralgia. — The neuralgia of pregnancy is some-
times a most disagreeable complication. The affection
may assume a great variety of forms. It most fre-
quently affects the face. Very often the teeth are
the seat of the pain. Sometimes the pain is mostly
confined to the back or chest or the limbs.

Treatment: The most useful measures of treat-
ment are fomentations to the affected part, the use of
dry heat, alternate hot and cold applications, and elec-
tricity, particularly the galvanic current. These
measures are not usually efficient, however, unless
the exciting cause, which may generally be found to
be some form of indigestion or an impoverished condi-
tion of the blood, is carefully sought for and removed.

Headache and Disturbances of Vision. — Se-
vere, continuous headache and various disturbances of
vision, such as blurring, double sight, etc., are some-

436 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

times of quite serious import. These cases should be
investigated by a competent physician. Whenever
these symptoms occur, a careful examination of the
urine should be made, to determine if albumen is
present. The headache may generally be relieved by
cool or hot compresses to the head, hot fomentations,
or hot and cold sponging of the upper part of the
spine, warm sitz or foot baths, and other derivative
measures.

Shortness of Breath. — Shortness of breath or
difficulty of breathing, are frequently among the
most prominent inconveniences of the latter stages of
the pregnant state. Patients subject to asthma, and
affected with organic disease of the heart, suffer
much more than do others. The interference with
respiration is produced in most cases by crowding
upward of the abdominal organs against the dia-
phragm, thus preventing its proper descent, and
making it impossible for the patient to take a full in-
spiration. Shortness of breath is sometimes due to
poverty of the blood.

The first class of cases can be relieved but little,
as the cause cannot be removed. Some advantage
may be derived, however, by the application of far-
adization to the chest, for the purpose of strengthen-
ing the respiratory muscles. In cases in which the
difficulty arises from debility, the patient should re-
ceive such treatment as will secure improvement of
nutrition.

Fainting. — This symptom occurs quite frequently
during the first few months of pregnancy. The
cause is the morbidly susceptible condition of the

THE MOTHER 437

nervous system during this period, very slight causes
being sufficient to occasion intense mental excitement
and profound disturbance of the circulation.

Miscarriage and Abortion. — These terms are
applied to cases in which the foetus is discharged be-
fore the seventh month. Miscarriage occurs most
frequently in fleshy persons and those who are sub-
ject to menorrhagia, or profuse menstruation. Nearly
all the severe acute diseases may give rise to miscar-
riage. Violent excitement or exertion, either mental
or physical, displacements of the uterus, together
with chronic inflammation and tumors of the organ,
falls, and other violent accidents, severe vomiting or
coughing, bad hygiene, and sexual indulgence, may
be enumerated as the principal causes of abortion.

The symptoms of abortion within the first two
weeks do not differ very greatly from those attending
profuse menstruation. Not infrequently miscarriages
occur at this period without the woman being con-
scious of the fact. In the third or fourth month,
there is considerable hemorrhage, and some portion 01
the foetus is likely to be retained in the womb, where
decomposition not infrequently takes place, imperiling
the patient's life. Criminal abortion is very fre-
quently attended by fatal results. The moral aspect
of this question has been fully considered else-
where. (See pages 351-369.) Miscarriage occur-
ring as late as five or six months, very closely resem-
bles labor.

It has been observed that miscarriage is most £pt
to occur at or near the regular time for menstruation,

438 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

if the function had continued, and hence special care
should be observed at these periods.

Treatment : In cases in which abortion habitually
occurs at a certain time, complete rest should be en-
joined upon the patient. She should not be upon her
feet at all until the dangerous period is past. Sexual
excitement should also be strictly prohibited. In
case flooding occurs, or other symptoms of abortion,
the patient should at onee go to bed and apply cold
compresses over the bowels, and tepid injections of
tannin or a decoction of white-oak bark into the
vagina. Abortion or miscarriage is much more likely
to be followed by di^pase of the womb than natural
labor, and hence every possible precaution should be
taken to prevent exposure and overdoing in these
cases.

Premature Labor. — Births occurring after 'the
beginning of the seventh month are termed prema-
ture. The causes are essentially the same as those
which produce abortion. The rules laid down for the
management of labor at full term, are equally applica-
ble to premature labors. It should be remarked that
extra preparations should be made to give the feeble
infant likely to be born in these cases the best possi-
ble chances for life.

Death of the Foetus. — When many symptoms of
pregnancy which have been distinctly present disap-
pear, there are grounds for suspicion that death oi
the foetus has been occasioned by some cause. The
causes which occasion death of the foetus are essen-
tially the same as those which give rise to abortion
and premature labor. The foetus is generally expelled

THE MOTHER 439

a week or ten days after it dies, but cases are re-
corded in which it has been retained many months.

Molar or False Pregnancy. — Two forms of
false pregnancy occur. In one of these, after the
usual symptoms of abortion, and with considerable
pain and hemorrhage, a fleshy body of varying size
is expelled, which may be shown by a close examin-
ation to be an undeveloped foetus. This form of false
pregnancy is attended by little danger.

In the other form, the symptoms of pregnancy
continue Up to the fourth or fifth month, though no
foetal movements are ever felt. The abdominal walls
are generally extended more than at the same time in
true pregnancy. After a time, a large quantity of
bloody serum is discharged, along with severe hemor-
rhage, the escaping fluid containing small, bladd«r-like
bodies resembling grapes. This is knowu as the hy-
datfdi-forjn. This form of false pregnancy is by no
means free from danger, and requires the attention of
a skilled physician.

Flooding.— -When this serious symptom occurs,
the patient, if not already in a, decumbent position,
should at once go to bed. Cold compresses should
be applied over the lower part of the bowels. She
should be given an abundance of cold water to drink.
Cold water may al^o"be injected into the rectum with
advantage. Id » ease of a severe hemorrhage after
miscarriage or premature labor, the best remedy is
the jrfblonged hot-water vaginal douche. If not
speedily effective, a strong, hot, saturated solution of
alum, ^bout one pint in quantity, should be injected
into the vagina. If necessary, a tablespoonful of

440 THE LADIE& GUIDE.

powdered alum may be carefully inclosed in a bag of
thin muslin and introduced into the vagina and re-
tained for a few hours.

Puerperal Convulsions. — This is a very serious
disease which may occur during pregnancy, or during
or after labor. It generally occurs in patients who
have suffered with disease of the kidneys during
pregnancy, as shown by swelling of the feet and
limbs, puffiness of the face, and the presence of albu-
men in the urine. Among the first symptoms are
disorders of vision, as blurred sight, double vision, and
continuous headache. The attack generally begins
with strong muscular contractions, in which the
muscles of the limbs become rigid, and respiration
ceases through the rigidity of the muscles of the
chest. This is followed in a short time by spasmodic
twitching of the various muscles. Sometimes the
contortions of patients suffering with this affection
are frightful. The most common, and probably the
sole, cause of true puerperal convulsions, is poisoning
of the blood by the elements of the urine which are
not eliminated on account of congestion or inflamma-
tion of the kidneys.

Sometimes attacks occur resembling those of epi-
lepsy. These cases are probably due to some other
cause.

Treatment: The preventive treatment of this dis-
ease is by far the most important. It consists, first,
in thorough attention to the laws of hygiene relating
to the pregnant state. The diet should be chiefly
fruit, and farinaceous articles of food Sugar and
meat should be carefully discarded. As soon as the

THE MOTHER 441

swelling of the feet and puffiness of the face are ob-
served, the patient should take frequent warm baths
with wet-sheet packs, vapor baths, and other treat-
ment which will induce active sweating. Consider-
able quantities of water should be daily drank, so as
to replace the water removed by the sweating pro
cess, which should be made almost continuous.

At the time of the attack, vigorous efforts snould
be made to relieve the system of the obnoxious ele-
ment by which the brain and nervous system is be-
ing poisoned, through the medium of perspiration.
If possible, the patient should be given a hot blanket
pack, hot bottles being packed around her to induce
copious sweating. If the bowels are constipated they
should be relieved by a warm enema. A spoon han-
dle wrapped with cloth should be placed between the
teeth to prevent the tongue being bitten. The pa-
tient should not be violently restrained, but should
be gently prevented from injuring herself. When
coma is present, as is frequently the case, cold or iced
compresses should be applied to the head. Hot and
cold applications should be made to the spine. If
these measures do not bring relief, chloroform may be
used to subdue the spasms. This remedy is gener-
ally effective. When the contractions have ceased, en-
ergetic measures should be taken to prevent their re-
currence by exciting activity of the kidneys and
skin.

Cramps. — Spasmodic contraction of the muscles
of the limbs is a very common and often troublesome
affection incident to pregnancy. Measures to im-
prove and maintain the tone of the nervous system

442 THE LADIES GUIDE.

should be thoroughly employed as preventive means.
When the cramping occurs, the affected muscles
should be firmly grasped and vigorously rubbed.
Sometimes the cramping may be made to cease by
simply walking about for a few minutes. Fomenta-
tions or hot and cold applications made to the lower
part of the spine usually afford relief in a prolonged
attack where other measures fail. Hot sponging of
the cramping muscles is also a useful remedy.

Painful Breast. — This unpleasant affection is not
infrequently a cause of very great discomfort to the
pregnant woman. When there is much heat and a
tense feeling or hardness, cool compresses should be
applied, cloths being dipped in cool or cold water
and applied, being changed as often as they become
warmed. Alternate hot and cold sponging will some-
times afford more prompt relief. When there is pain
without heat, fomentations or hot sponging may be
employed two or three times a day with benefit, or
soothing liniments may be employed.

Palpitation of the Heart — This symptom is the
result of reflex action, and may generally be relieved
by alternate hot and cold sponging of the spine, and
either hot or cold applications over the heart. It is
generally occasioned by some disturbance of diges-
tion.

Rigid Skin. — In some cases the skin of the abdo-
men is wanting in elasticity to such a degree that
great pain and uneasiness is caused by the strain
upon the abdominal walls during the later months of
pregnancy. To relieve this condition, the skin of the
abdomen should be daily rubbed with vaseline or

THE MOTHER 443

olive-oil and thoroughly manipulated. Hot sponging
is also a useful measure for increasing the activity of
the skin and developing a healthy condition.

Malpositions. — The best time to treat malposi-
tions is before the critical period of childbirth has ar-
rived. This may seem to be a singular statement,
but a careful consideration of the subject will be suf-
ficient to convince any one of its truth. Active mus-
cular exercise is one of the very best means of pre-
venting malpositions. The head of the child being
the heaviest portion, it naturally gravitates down-
ward, thus securing a natural presentation. When,
however, from any cause, a malposition has been pro-
duced, it is of the utmost importance that it should
be discovered and corrected before the period of child-
birth arrives. That this is possible has been demon-
strated again and again. It is now well understood
by scientific obstetricians that under ordinary circum-
stances the "presentation" can be made out weeks
before the hour of confinement, and that when this
knowledge has been gained, the position, if wrong,
can be readily corrected by the employment of such
external manipulations as the case may require.
Every physician who undertakes the practice of ob-
stetrics ought to be practically familiar with the
proper method of procedure, and should make an ex-
amination of all expected cases sufficiently early to
enable him to apply the remedy. Something of an
idea of the mode of applying this remedy for malposi-
tions may be obtained by reference to Fig. 1, Plate
0.

Women ought to know that by the use of this

444 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

means the pains and perils of childbirth may be al-
most infinitely lessened. Most obstetrical operations,
so fraught with danger to both mother and child, are
made necessary by malpositions which may be easily
corrected without pain or inconvenience to the
mother or danger to the child by proper manipulation
prior to confinement. In view of this fact, every wo-
man will recognize the importance of consulting an
experienced and intelligent physician at intervals dur-
ing the last months of pregnancy to assure her-
self that all is well, or to submit to the proper treat-
ment for correcting any faulty position, thus avoiding
the danger and suffering which might otherwise be
inevitable.

In some cases it becomes necessary that a prop-
erly constructed supporter should be worn to prevent
a return of the difficulty after the malposition has
been corrected.

LSBOR OR CHILDBIRTH.

The period of gestation, or labor, usually lasts, in
the human female, from 278 to 300 days, at the end
of which time it is terminated by labor or parturition.
The approach of labor is usually indicated by pre-
monitory symptoms for some hours or even days be-
fore-hand, but sometimes occurs suddenly without any
premonitory symptoms.

The following are the leading signs of the approach
of the termination of pregnancy : Gradually increasing
irritability of the bladder, with much difficulty in
standing or walking, and a change in form of the ab-

THE MOTHER. 445

domen which results from the settling down of the
womb, leaving the waist smaller, but increasing the
prominence of the lower portion of the abdomen a
short time before the labor is to begin. Also the ex-
ternal parts become swollen, and there is a leucor-
rhoeal discharge of a thick, clear matter somewhat re-
sembling the white of an egg. Uterine contractions,
quite painless in character, are also indicative of the
approaching crisis. These contractions at first occur
at irregular intervals. When they become regular,
the labor has begun. The pains usually begin in the
back and sacrum, and extend to the front part of the
abdomen. What are termed false labor pains arise
from colic, constipation, or irritation of the bowels.
They differ from labor pains in being irregular. The
term pain, as used in obstetrics, is applied to the spas-
modic uterine contractions which take place, together
with the pain incident to the same.

Presentation and Position. — The term presen-
tation has reference to the particular part of the body
which presents at the mouth of the womb. The term
position has reference to the location of the present-
ing part in the passages of the mother. The most
usual presentation is the head. Occasionally the
other extremity of the trunk takes precedence, form-
ing what is termed a " breech presentation." In still
other cases the body lies crosswise of the outlet, a
presentation which must be modified in some way be-
fore the infant can be born.

There are various modifications of each of these
classes of presentation, that is, other parts of the
head may present. In a perfectly natural labor, the

440 THE LAMEST GUIDE.

vertex of the head is the presenting part. But vari-
ous other parts of the head may be presented, more
or less complicating the process.

Stages of Labor. — Labor is divided into three
stages.

1. Dilation of the mouth of the womb. This is
indicated by c^fting pains felt mostly in the back,
contractions taking place in the womb only, and
gradually growing more and more frequent until the
neck of the womb is fully dilated.

2. Expulsion of the child, by means of stronger
contractions in which the abdominal muscles contract,
as well as the uterus.

3. The expulsion of the after-birth.

The average length of labor in women who have
previously borne children is about six hours, the first
four of which are occupied in the first stage, and the
latter two in the second stage. The after-birth is
often expelled at once after the expulsion of the child,
but is more often retained five to thirty minutes.

The first and second stages of laboi are often
considerably prolonged. Some women, especially
those who have broad hips and are well adapted to
childbirth, pass through the process of labor in a
much shorter space of time, in some cases not more
than thirty minutes or an hour being occupied. In
women who have not borne children before, espe-
cially those who are somewhat advanced in life, labor
is often very greatly prolonged.

Various obstacles frequently arise to delay the
process ; such as inactivity of the womb, rigidity of

THE MOTHER 447

the neck of the womb or of the perinaeum, con-
tracted pelvis, and malpositions of the child.

Simple minded, primitive people, in a savage
state, by the study of Nature have in all parts of the
world arrived at the discovery of very much the
same means for facilitating the painful processes of
childbirth. The most important of all these natural
methods is massage, which is almost universally prac-
ticed, not only by the Chinese, among whom it seems
to have originated, under the name of Cong-feu, but
by their neighbors, the Siamese and Japanese, being
termed by the latter Ambouk. Our own native tribes,
the North American Indians, as well as the aboriginal
inhabitants of Mexico, and the Pueblos, also prac-
tice methodically a sort of massage, the purpose of
which is to assist Nature in bringing into the world
the new being. The natives of Africa, India, the
South-Sea Islands, and the savage tribes of Central
Asia, all employ certain modifications of the same art
peculiar to themselves, some of which, however, are
so rude and violent as to be, apparently, dangerous to
the life of both mother and child.

Some of the ancient and rude practices referred to
have been in use among the lower classes of civilized
nations, particularly the Welch and Dutch peasantry,
and some of the older medical practitioners of the
present day can recollect of meeting with relics of
such methods among the earlier settlers of Kentucky
and Ohio.

Massage, as referred to in this connection, has
reference to various manipulations practiced upon the
abdomen and back, the purpose of which is to expel

448 THE LADIES GUIDE.

the child or the after-birth, to excite uterine contrac-
tion, or to correct malpositions. The exact mode of
administering such manipulations will be described a
little later. The object of this mention is to call at-
tention to the fact that this one of the most recent
additions to scientific obstetrical practice is almost as
old as the race, and simply an adoption of what has
been practiced by savages from time immemorial,
with, of course, such improvements as civilized man
with his greater intelligence is easily able to add.

Preparation for Labor. — The whole period of
pregnancy should be a course of preparation for its
termination ; but in addition to the various measures
previously described, special measures may be adopted
at its very termination by which the pains and dan-
gers of childbirth may be greatly lessened and the
process expedited.

First we mention the vaginal douche. No better
means is known for securing natural and ready dilata-
tion of the neck of the womb at delivery than the hot
water douche. It should be administered two or
three times dail£ for the last week or two of preg-
nancy, and when the pains of childbirth begin, may
be employed continuously for hours with benefit. It
is one of the most effectual means of relieving the
annoying, ineffectual pains of the first stage of labor.
The temperature should not be over 110° F., and the
patient should be placed in such a position as to
make her as comfortable as possible. We have wit-
nessed the most excellent results from this method,
and can recommend it as well worth a trial, and cer-

THE MOTHER 449

tain to yield satisfactory results without any possible
danger of doing harm.

Another important means of preparation is the
employment of massage to the abdomen and loins.
This should be practiced to some extent during the
entire latter half of pregnancy ; but during the last
two or three weeks should be employed more assid-
uously. Properly applied, this measure is not capable
of doing harm. By the aid of it, malpositions may
be corrected, the abdominal xnuscles strengthened,
and the patient prepared for the approaching crisis.
It should be applied daily for thirty minutes to an
hour, during the last two months of pregnancy. '

The manipulation consists in rubbing and knead-
ing the abdomen and loins very much after the fash-
ion of kneading bread, care being taken not to make
such violent movements as to endanger the child or to
force it into a wrong position. There is really little
danger of this, however, as the tendency of any manip.
ulation of the abdomen, not purposely directed in a
manner to reverse the position of the child, is to
bring the head, or heaviest portion, into the lowest
part of the abdomen.

Fomentations and frictions with unguents applied
to the perineum are also of undoubted utility in pre-
paring this part for the extraordinary strain to which
it is to be subjected. These measures should be em-
ployed two or three times a day, and for fifteen min-
utes to an hour at a time during the last two weeks
of pregnancy.

Care should be taken to keep the bowels loose

450 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

and the kidneys acting freely. The diet should be
especially simple. The usual amount of exercise
should be taken, or as nearly so as possible, to the
very day of confinement, unless there should be some
complication contra-indicating exercise.

Management of Labor. — The first thing to bo
done at the beginning of labor is to secure the servi-
ces of a competent attendant. The attendant should,
if possible, be a thoroughly trained physician. This
is a field in which woman as a physician can fill a
very useful sphere. Under no circumstances, except
in emergencies, should the important process of par-
turition be placed wholly in the hands of a midwife
whose qualifications, such as she may possess, are
wholly derived from experience at the bedside, no
matter how large be the number of cases she may
have attended. No one person could by practical ex-
perience alone in a life-time acquire all the knowledge
necessary to meet the urgent emergencies which are
liable to arise at any time in childbirth. The science
and art of obstetrics have been developed by a very
slow process ; and as they exist at the present day,
are the result of the combined experience of physi-
cians during the last two thousand years. Thorough
theoretical knowledge is indispensable as a founda-
tion for practical skill.

As soon as the first labor pains make their ap-
pearance, the physician should be promptly notified,
and also the nurse, if the latter is not already in
readiness. The room in which the patient is to be
confined should be a large, light, airy, and pleasant
one. But few persons should be allowed to be pres-

THE MOTHER 45 1

ent, and these should be such as are desired by the
patient, and no others.

So far as consistent, all her wishes should be com-
plied with, so that she may be in as pleasant a state
of mind as possible, and that no mental influence
may present an obstacle to prevent the completion of
the process in which her physical and nervous pow-
ers will be taxed to the uttermost. No remark of a
discouraging nature should be uttered in the presence
of the patient, but hope and confidence should be in-
spired.

During this stage the patient need not go to
bed. In fact, it is better that she should sit up, as
the sitting posture favors the progress of labor.
This need not be required, however, if the patient
prefers to be in bed. During this stage the patient
should quietly allow nature to carry on the work with-
out any attempt to hasten matters by " bearing down,"
as she may often be encouraged to do by ignorant
friends. These voluntary efforts are of no consequence
until the neck of the womb is fully dilated. The pa-
tient should be allowed to drink cold water, or weak
lemonade as freely as desired ; but stimulants should
not be given, as they will produce a feverish state of
the system without giving any real strength. Hot
teas are also better withheld. If the bowels have not
moved freely, they should be relieved by a full
enema.

During this stage, the bed should be made in
readiness. The feather bed, if in use, should be re-
moved and replaced by a moderately hard mattress
covered by a sheet. Over this should be placed a

452 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

large rubber cloth three or four feet wide and six
feet long. This should be covered with a comfort-
able, and a sheet placed over all.

At the beginning of the second stage the patient
should go to bed, and her clothing should be drawn
up under her arms so that it will not be soiled, the
lower portion of the body being protected by a sheet
or petticoat. The patient may lie on the left side or
on the back. If the foetus is strongly inclined toward
the right side, it is better for the patient to lie upon
the left side. During the severe pains which char-
acterize the second stage of labor, the back of the
patient should be supported by firm pressure with
the hand. The knees should be drawn up and fixed
in such a position as to give them support during the
pains. The nurse should take hold of the hand or
wrist of the patient to give her an opportunity to
make firm traction during the pain.

It is at this stage of labor that much can be done
by an intelligent midwife or physician to facilitate
the process of childbirth and to relieve the sufferings
of the patient. Rubbing and manipulation of the
muscles of the loins and thighs often afford great
relief to the patient. In case the pains are inefficient,
and hence the progress slow and the patient discour-
aged, frictions should be made oyer the abdomen
with the hand, gentle pressure being made above the
uterus so as to press it down into the cavity of the
pelvis; when there is considerable delay, what is
known to physicians as " expression " should be em-
ployed. There are several modes of applying this
useful measure, but the following, known as the

THE MOTHER. 453

method of Kristeller, is the most simple and ef-
fective : —

The patient lying upon the back, the operator
places his hands upon the abdomen in such a manner
as to grasp the womb, as shown in Plate L, Fig.
1. First the abdominal walls should be gently rubbed
against the uterus, then slight pressure should be
made in a downward direction, care being taken to
bring the womb exactly to the middle of the body so
that its mouth may be brought in direct line with the
middle of the pelvic canal. The pressure should be
gradually increased for three or four seconds, and
then gradually diminished, the whole time occupied
by the pressure being five to eight seconds. The
hand should be retained in position, and the pressure
repeated at short intervals. During the early part of
the second stage, the intervals between successive
pressures should be two or three minutes; but as
labor advances, it should be. shortened to one or one-
half minute. •

The points of pressure should be changed occa-
sionally, the force being brought to bear alternately
upon the upper lateral portions of the uterus instead
of constantly over the central portion.

The systematic application of this simple measure
will in most cases obviate the use of the forceps, even
in difficult labors, and in cases in which the forceps
are required, it should always be used as a means of
bringing the child within easy reach of the forceps
and facilitating the extraction. In the first labors
this method should always be employed, and by

4£4 THE LADIES7 GUIDE.

means of it the tediousness of such cases may be
wonderfully lessened.

In cases of breech or other abnormal presenta-
tion the method is also found most serviceable. It is
vastly superior to ergot and all other medicinal means
of exciting uterine contraction, and is free Irom the
dangers well known to accompany the use of drugs
for this purpose.

The most proper time for the application of " ex-
pression" is after the membranes have ruptured,
when the os is well dilated and the external parts are
becoming tense from the pressure of the head of the
child. When the method becomes sufficiently well
known to secure its general and thorough adoption,
we doubt not that it will almost entirely replace the
forceps, and thus save thousands of women from the
pain and often serious injuries resulting from instru-
mental delivery.

The Mexican midwife practices " expression " by
means of the feet. The patient is placed upon the
floor, and the operator stands upon the abdomen, the
heels being placed upon the stomach, and compression
and friction applied to the womb with the toes. The
midwives of several barbarous tribes employ essen-
tially the same means by suspending the patient to a
rope attached to the ceiling and a band passed be-
neath the arms, while the operator grasps her about
the waist and with the pressure of her entire weight
performs a stripping movement downward. Others
strap about the waist a strong leather band, known
among the Indians as a " squaw belt," the belt being
tightened and drawn downward as the child advances.

THE MOTHER 455

In some instances the pregnant woman applies " ex-
pression" herself by pressing the body against the
end of a thick stake driven into the ground obliquely.
These methods, though effective, are much less so
than the more scientific one employed by modern ob-
stetricians, and are liable to result in injury to both
mother and child.

In the intervals between the pains, if the patient
is exhausted, she should be allowed to sleep, if possi-
ble, in order to recuperate her strength. When
the face becomes hot and flushed, it should be bathed
with cool water. As the termination of labor ap-
proaches, as indicated by the increasing severity and
frequency of the pains which at this time often be-
come almost continuous, a supply of hot water
should be got in readiness, a large pailful being
brought to the bedside, together with a large pan to
be ready for use if necessary. A syphon syringe
should also be filled with hot water and held ready
for use. A bottle of camphor should be at hand,
and a strong cord, made of silk or linen thread twisted
and well waxed, with a pair of scissors, should be in
readiness for prompt use.

As the head of the child presses severely upon
the perinaeum, the efforts of the patient should be re-
strained, to avoid rupture by giving the tissues time
to dilate. Pressing back the back of the head and
elevating the chin of the child by means of two fin-
gers placed in the rectum, is the best means of pre-
venting laceration of the perinseum.

As soon as the head passes out, the cord should
be felt for, as it is sometimes wound around the

456 THE LADIE& GUIDE.

neck in such a way as to interrupt the circulation
as the strain is brought to bear upon it. It also
sometimes happens that knots are tied in it, which
being tightened by the strain may cut off the supply
of blood from the child too soon. If the body is riot
speedily expelled, the child may be withdrawn by
making traction with the finger placed in the armpit.

During the delivery of the child the hand of the
nurse or assistant should be kept upon the abdo-
men of the mother in such a way as to grasp the
upper part of the womb, firm pressure being made for
the purpose of securing contraction of the organ.
This pressure should be kept up until the after-birth
is expelled and the bandage applied. If the after-
birth is not promptly expelled, and the uterine con-
tractions seem to be suspended, friction should be
made over the uterus ; and after a few minutes, firm
pressure should be applied, the womb being grasped
in the manner shown in Fig. 2, Plate 0. The
pressure should be firm as can be borne by the
mother without discomfort, and should be applied at
brief intervals, every half minute at least, until the
placenta is expelled, gentle traction being made upon
the cord to assist its expulsion.

As soon as born, the child should be brought to
the edge of the bed and carefully examined. Gener-
ally it at once utters a cry, which indicates that its
lungs are filled with air. In case it does not cry, and
breathes feebly, or only gasps, the hand should be
dipped in cold water and placed upon its chest, or
the chest may be slapped with the hand. This will
generally be sufficient to start the respiration. If

THE MOTHER 457

the child is limp and pale, and makes no efforts what-
ever at respiration, it should be immediately inverted,
being held with the head downward, and hot flannels
should be wrapped about it. Efforts should be made
to excite respiration by compressing the chest at in-
tervals of a few seconds. Care should also be taken
to see that the mouth is cleared of mucus, though
this is not likely to be necessary unless the child has
begun to breathe just as the head is being born and
has drawn mucus into the throat. If the face has a
purplish appearance, the child should be placed at
once in a warm bath of a temperature of ] 05°, or as
hot as can be safely used without injury to the skin,
and cold water should be dashed upon the chest.
Artificial respiration may also be employed at the
same time. These measures should be continued for
some time and should not be abandoned so long as
any evidence whatever of the action of the heart can
be obtained. Some cases are recorded in which in-
fants have been resuscitated after apparent death for
fully an hour.

As soon as it breathes freely or the cord has
ceased to pulsate, the cord should be tied in two
places ; the first about two inches from the body, the
other about three inches. The child should then be
laid upon its side, not on the back, as the side posi-
tion favors the escape of mucus from the throat. If
there should be much rattling in the throat, indicating
the presence of considerable mucus, the infant should
be laid with its head downward and to one side, so as
to allow the mucus to escape.

458 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

Washing and Dressing the Child. — If the birth
is a premature one, having occurred before the infant
was fully developed, the child will be smaller than
usual and less well developed ; its movements will be
slight and feeble, its cry will be very faint, and the
countenance will have a peculiarly old expression.
Such a child requires extra care and warmth. It
should be carefully wrapped in soft cotton. Very
great care will be required in rearing it, as it will at
first be too weak to nurse and must be fed with a
spoon. It should not be washed and dressed for
some hours, and should be kept very warm. Care
should be taken in washing the child not to expose it
to cold so as to produce blueness of the surface, as is
often done. It should be recollected that the infant
has all its life thus far beeu accustomed to a temper-
ature of nearly 100°, and being wholly without pro-
tection when born, and keenly susceptible, it must suf-
fer quite severely from cold. Another important fact
is that the process of respiration is not completely car-
ried on by the lungs for some days after birth, the
skin performing a very important part of the work.
When it becomes cold, it can no longer perform this
extra function, and the blood of the child is quickly
poisoned by the accumulation of carbonic acid and
other effete products which should be eliminated.

The best plan for washing the child is to place it
in a warm bath, the temperature of which is about
blood heat, and then rub it gently with a sponge
dipped in warm, weak suds made of castile soap. If
the surface is covered with curd-like matter, as is
sometimes the case, it should be smeared with a mixt-

TEE MOTHER. 459

ure of equal parts of egg and sweet oil beaten up to-
gether. After the bath, the surface should be
anointed with a little olive-oil or vaseline. If some
portions of the curdy matter seem to be firmly adher-
ent to the skin, no violent efforts should be made to
remove them, as they will dry up and disappear in
a short time without further attention. After being
thoroughly washed, the child should be carefully ex-
amined to see that it possesses no deformity. The
outlets of the body should receive particular attention,
as in some cases the anus or urethra are closed.

The best method of dressing the cord is this :
Grasp the cord with the thumb and finger close to
the body, cutting it off at the ligature. Squeeze out
all its contents by pressure with the thumb and fin-
ger of the other hand, keeping a firm grasp upon it
with the thumb and finger first applied so as to pre-
vent hemorrhage. Now apply another ligature about
an inch from the end of the stump. By this means
the cord will be very greatly reduced in size and
may be much more easily dressed than when treated
in the usual way. In dressing, apply a soft, thin
muslin bandage, about as wide as the first joint of the
thumb, wrapping it around the cord three or four
times. Now apply another ligature outside of the
bandage, and the dressing is complete. Some prefer
to apply for a bandage a soft linen cloth four or five
inches square, smeared upon the under surface with
mutton tallow, and having a hole in the center through
which the cord is slipped. The cloth is generally
scorched, but not much is gained by this practice.

460 THE LADIES9 GUIDE.

By dressing the cord in this way, much offensiveness
which arises from decomposition is avoided.

It is generally customary to next apply what is
termed the belly-band. This is not so important as
many suppose, if indeed it is needed at all, which we
very seriously doubt. If applied it should not be
drawn too tight, and should be fastened with tape in-
stead of pins. The best material to use is very soft
flannel. When the dressing is completed, the infant
should be placed in a warm bed ; but it should not
have its head covered, as it needs an abundance of
air, as well as an adult. The infant, when thus prop-
erly dressed, generally sleeps several hours. When
it awakes, it should be applied to the breast. Al-
though the milk is not yet formed, the efforts of the
child to nurse will promote the secretion and will also
benefit the child, as the first secretion furnished by
the breast, a watery fluid known as colostrum, has a
slightly laxative effect upon the bowels of the infant,
freeing them from their contents, which is termed
meconium.

The Binder. — After the child has been born and
its immediate wants attended to, the binder or ab-
dominal bandage should be applied to the mother.
The binder consists of a double thickness of strong
muslin cloth or a large linen towel. It should be ap-
plied in such a way as to give the mother the least
possible amount of inconvenience in the application.
In fastening, it should be drawn so as to fit the body
snugly, and should be pinned *from above downward.
The bandage is generally applied more tightly than
is necessary, the serious consequence of which is not

THE MOTHER. 461

infrequently prolapsus of the womb. In case there
is any marked tendency to hemorrhage after the
birth, a folded towel should be laid over the womb
beneath the bandage. The use of the binder is now
by no means so universally recommended as formerly.
It is probable that it may be dispensed with in most
cases with no danger and with real advantage. It
need not be worn after the first day or two ; but a
bandage should be worn for a few days after the
mother first begins to walk about.

The soiled clothing should next be removed.
The patient should be washed and wiped dry, and a
dry, clean sheet with old cloths for absorbing the dis-
charges should be placed beneath the patient. Care
should be taken that the patient is warmly covered.
A slight shivering will often occur, but this is gener-
ally from nervousness. If the patient has lost much
blood, or is very weak, the head should be placed low ;
only a very small pillow or none at all should be
used.

The patient should now be allowed to rest. Sim-
ple drinks may be given when desired, but stimulants
are rarely called for. The patient will generally fall
asleep if allowed to do so, and will awake after two
or three hours very much refreshed. Food may be
taken at regular times, but should be simple and un-
stimulating. Milk, toast, oatmeal porridge, and oc-
casionally soft boiled eggs, should constitute the chief
diet. Beefsteak and other meats are better avoided.

Attention should be given to the bowels and blad-
der. If the bowels do not move by the second day,
an enema should be administered. Either tepid wa-

462 THE LADIEff GUIDE.

ter or flaxseed tea may be employed. The bladder
should be emptied within a few hours after labor.
If there is inability to urinate, a warm fomentation
may be applied over the bladder between the thighs, or
a warm vaginal douche administered. This will usu-
ally bring relief, especially the latter measure, the pa-
tient being directed to urinate while the douche is be-
ing given. If these simple measures do not succeed, it
will be necessary to use a catheter. The bladder
should be relieved at least two or three times a day.

During the first twenty-four hours after child-
birth, the nurse should carefully examine the condition
of the womb by placing the hand upon the abdomen,
every two or three hours. If the organ is found con-
tracted down to a proper size and firm, all is well ;
but if it is appreciably enlarged and soft, or large
and tense, friction should be at once applied and kept
up until firm contractions are induced.

For the first day, the discharge from the womb is
of a bloody character ; after this, it gradually becomes
watery, and in from three to five days it becomes
thicker. This is termed the lochial discharge, and
generally continues from one to three weeks. It is
often checked for a day or two at the time when the
milk secretion begins. In order to prevent the dis-
charge from becoming offensive, as is sometimes the
case, the vaginal douche should be taken "at least
twice a day ; and when the discharge is very profuse,
more frequently. The water employed should be
quite warm, and should contain a teaspoonful of car-
bolic acid dissolved in a tablespoonful of glycerine or
alcohol to the quart of water. The injection of hot

THE MOTHER 463

water not only cleanses the parts, but stimulates com-
plete contraction of the tissues, and thus prevents
danger from hemorrhage, and hastens the process by
which the organ returns to its natural size. A solu-
tion of permanganate of potash in the proportion of a
teaspoonful of the crystals to a quart of water, is also
an excellent injection for use when the discharge is
offensive. The carbolic acid solution should be thor-
oughly shaken before it is used. When blood reap-
pears in the discharges after a few days, it is an in-
dication that the process referred to is not taking
place regularly and satisfactorily. This is generally
the result of the patient's getting up too soon.

Milk Fever. — This is a term applied to the fever-
ishness which is sometimes present on the third day
after confinement. The fever may be introduced by
a slight chilliness. The patient has thirst, headache,
and frequent pulse. The breasts are generally some-
what swollen, harder than natural, and sensitive;
throbbing and darting pains are sometimes felt in
them. It is probable that the fever is not the result
of the milk secretion, but is due to the absorption of
decomposing discharges through the raw surfaces of
the vagina and womb, and the swelling and tender-
ness of the breasts is due to the fever. The thorough
use of disinfectant injections will generally prevent
the ocurrence of this fever. Placing the child to the
breast soon after its birth, and at regular intervals
afterward, is also an excellent means of prevention,
as it not only empties the breast and promotes the
natural secretion, but also stimulates contraction of
the womb, and thus hastens the process of involution.

464 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

The inability of a mother to nurse her child is almost
as great a misfortune to herself as to the child, as nat-
ure requires this natural stimulus to uterine contrac-
tion to enable her to do her work in reducing the
womb to its natural condition after childbirth. The
treatment at this time should consist in giving the pa-
tient little fluid to drink, feeding her chiefly with
solid food, and quenching the thirst by means of
pieces of ice. Hot fomentations should be applied to
the breasts, and they should be emptied by means of
careful manipulations, unless the child is able to with-
draw the secretion by nursing. Sometimes the swell-
ing is so great that the nipple is partly buried, thus
interfering with the nursing. In this case the breast-
pump should be employed to draw out the nipple,* in
case it cannot be drawn out by manipulation with the
hands, which is by far the best means, or a nipple
shield with a rubber teat should be employed. In
case of necessity, an adult may act as a substi-
tute for the child, or a young pup may be em-
ployed. When the breasts have been properly cared
for during pregnancy, such troubles as this very
rarely occur.

Care of the Breasts. — Care should be taken to
wash the nipples carefully with cold water both before
a*hd after nursing. If the breasts are large, flabby,
and pendulous, it is well to support them by means of
bandages properly applied, passing under the breasts
and over the neck. This precaution will often pre-
vent inflammation of the breasts.

The friction and massage to which the nipple
should be subjected during the months of pregnancy,

THE MOTHER 465

will so effectually harden and toughen its covering of
skin as to render it able to stand the hardest usage
during a prolonged period of nursing. In applying
massage to the nipple, press back the areola with the
forefinger until the nipple becomes prominent, then
seize it, and draw it forward in imitation of the ac-
tion of the child in nursing, at the same time pinch-
ing and rolling it between the thumb and finger.
Pressing and rolling the breast between the hands is
also a useful means for preparing the gland for use,
and for increasing its activity when there is deficient
secretion. The same method may be employed for
the purpose of drawing forward the retracted nipple
of a nursing mother.

Sore Nipples will rarely occur when these pre-
cautions are observed. If the nipple should become
cracked and tender, especial attention should be given
to cleansing, both before and after nursing, and an
ointment of carbolated vaseline, ten drops to an
ounce, should be used, care being taken to remove
the ointment before the nipple is given to the child.
A solution of tannin in glycerine, fifteen grains to the
ounce, is also an excellent application for sore nipples.
It should be used twice a day, after the nipples have
been well cleansed.

Another excellent remedy is the following lotioti,
which should be applied twice a day with a camel's-
hair brush : Carbolic acid twenty drops, glycerine two
teaspoonfuls, water a tablespoonful and a half; mix
thoroughly. Several other excellent prescriptions
for sore nipples are given in the appendix.

Care should also be taken to give the nipple as

466 THE LADIES* GUIDE.

much rest as possible, by using the breasts alter-
nately, and making the intervals between nursing as
long as possible without doing injury to the child.
One of the greatest causes of sore nipples is compres-
sion of the breast by improper dressing before and
during pregnancy. In some cases, severe pain may
be felt whenever the child is taken to the breast, in
consequence of neuralgia of the part. This should be
carefully distinguished from soreness of the nipple by
a critical examination of the breast.

Inflammation of the Breast — If swelling of the
breast occurs, accompanied by redness, pain, and ten-
derness, it should be given entire rest at once.
Hot fomentations should be applied to relieve the
pain. The fomentations should not be simply warm,
but they should be as hot as can be borne. If relief
is not obtained in this way, ice-compresses or an ice-
pack should be used continuously until the symptoms
disappear. It is well to remove the ice-pack or ice-
bag for a few minutes every two or three hours, ap-
plying a hot fomentation.

By a vigorous application of these measures, an
inflammation may often be cut short in its course.
It is very important that the first indication of inflam-
mation should be detected. When this is done, the
continuous application of cold and complete emptying
of the gland by manipulation will usually control the
inflammatory tendency. Rubbing of the breast is
also an excellent means of producing absorption of
inflammatory products.

After the inflammation is controlled, the breast
should be carefully kneaded in such a manner as to

THE MOTHER. 467

thoroughly remove the partially coagulated milk cer-
tain to be present. A failure to do this is one of the
chief causes of the formation of abscesses. The
common use of the breast pump is objectionable as a
means of emptying the breast. By its use, violence
is frequently done to the delicate tissues, so that act-
ual harm is done, sometimes leading to permanent in-
jury. By patient and well directed efforts, the breast
can be emptied by manipulation in almost every case,
so that the pump need be resorted to but rarely.
The following is the best method of emptying the
breast by this means : —

The nurse should seat herself beside the patient
so that the left forearm rests lightly on the chest.
Place the right hand beneath the breast in such a
manner as to support it, allowing it to rest in the
crotch formed by the thumb and the first finger.
Now with the fingers of the left hand, sweep from
the upper and left border of the breast toward the
nipple with gentle, gradually increasing pressure.
Occasionally raise the breast from the chest and roll it
between the palms ; after ten or fifteen minutes thus
spent in alternate stroking and rolling of the breast,
it will become softer and much less nodular, and a
drop or two of milk may be squeezed out. Both
hands should now be used, the left being employed in
the same way as the right, one lifting and supporting
the breast, and the other stroking as described, the
action of lifting and stroking being alternately per-
formed by the two hands. By this means the milk
will be pressed out of the gland into the milk sinuses
around the nipple. When this becomes distended, the

468 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

nipple is to be milked in the same manner as the
teat of a cow. After the secretion is once started, the
breast may be emptied very rapidly. If there is
only a slight obstruction, a few skillful strokes of the
hand will overcome it ; but when more serious, per-
severing, but always gentle efforts must be made.

A little olive-oil, vaseline, or other unguent should
be used to facilitate the manipulation and prevent ir-
ritating friction of the skin. A breast threatened
with inflammation should be emptied by this means
every few hours, as the inflammatory action can be
much more readily controlled in an empty breast than
in one distended with milk.

Inflammation of the breast most usually occurs in
the third or fourth week after delivery. The usual
exciting causes are neglect to properly empty the
breast on account of a sore nipple, "a cold," neglect of
the bowels, too rich food, or some similar infraction
of the laws of hygiene relating to the nursing period.

A breast subject to inflammation should be made
to rest functionally, if possible. It is not always easy
to stop the flow of the milk, but something can be done
by pressure. A firm bandage should be applied about
the breast, and constant pressure should be employed.
Dried sponge is very useful for this purpose. A
large sponge should be moistened and then dried un-
der pressure so as to flatten it. A hole should be cut
in the middle so as to prevent pressure upon the
nipple and to allow the milk to be pressed out. This
should be bound over the breast, being exchanged in
five or six hours for another sponge prepared in the
same manner, thus maintaining the pressure almost

THE MOTHER 469

without intermission, if need be for days. By this
means the blood supply is lessened, and so the se-
cretion is diminished.

The application of adhesive straps is also a useful
means of applying pressure, although by no means
equal to the compressed sponge.

If the breast becomes tense, hard, shiny, and dis-
colored, an abscess is forming or has formed, and
should be at once opened so as to prevent burrowing
and absorption of pus. This is of course the duty of
the physician, and the exact mode of procedure need
not be further described.

It should be remarked by way of caution that the
prolonged use of poultices or fomentations should be
avoided, as they often produce a sodden and relaxed
condition of the breast.

To Cheek the Secretion of Milk. — In some
cases it becomes desirable that the secretion of milk
should be checked. This is especially important in
cases of still-birth and the sudden death of the child.
The most effective measures for checking the secre-
tion of milk is to require the patient to abstain from
the use of fluids of any sort, and the application of
pressure. The food should be of a solid character.
The thirst may be relieved by taking small quanti-
ties of ice. This should be continued until the fourth
or fifth day, when there will usually be no further dif-
ficulty. The breasts should be partially relieved of
their contents by manipulation, as already described, or
by the breast pump if necessary, but should not be en-
tirely emptied. The application of compressed sponge
as described in a previous paragraph is one of the best of

470 THE LADIES* GUIDE.

all known means of rapidly drying up the secretion.
The application of the ice-pack or cold compresses to
the breasts, is also an excellent means for diminishing
the secretion. It is also a good plan to apply to the
breasts two or three times a day a mixture of equal
parts of sweet-oil and spirits of camphor, and to keep
the breasts constantly covered with a cloth saturated
with spirits of camphor.

Galactorrhea. — Sometimes the secretion of milk
is too profuse, the secretion being in consequence
poor in quality, and so affording insufficient nourish-
ment to the child while draining the system of the
mother. The remedial measures to be employed ar^e
the same as those mentioned as useful " to check the
secretion of milk."

To Promote the Secretion of Milk. — This must
be accomplished chiefly by regulation of the diet and
attention to the general health, especially to the im-
provement of the digestion. The patient should
make free use of liquid food, particularly fresh milk,
sweet cream, oatmeal porridge, graham gruel, and
other whole-grain preparations. Teas of various kinds
are of little consequence and do not increase the
quantity of milk except by the addition of water.
The use of wine, beer, ale, ancl other alcoholic stimu-
lants is a practice to be in the highest degree con-
demned, as it not only deteriorates the quality of milk,
but makes the child liable to various diseases. An
eminent physician declares that in many instances in
which beer and ale are used, the infant is not sober a
moment from the time it begins nursing until it is
weaned.

THE MOTHER ' 471

Gentle manipulation of the breast and nipple, as
previously described, is in many cases very efficacious
in promoting the secretion of milk. By this means,
the secretion has been produced in women who have
never borne children, in such a quantity as to enable
them to act as wet-nurses with entire success.

Getting Up. — No definite time can be set at
which it would be safe for every woman " to get up."
Some are as able to get up in three or four days as
others at the end of two weeks. The traditional " nine
days for lying in " has no substantial foundation. As
a general rule, the woman should remain recumbent
dn bed for a week or ten days. If she has been get-
ting along nicely, she may be permitted to sit up a
few minutes after the fourth or fifth day while the
bed is being changed and aired ; but if the lochial
discharge becomes bloody after being up, it is an in-
dication that she should remain in bed some time
longer.

Getting up too soon after confinement is a fre-
quent cause of some of the most troublesome chronic
ailments from which women suffer. The worst of
these is enlargement of the womb, due to sub-involu-
tion, a condition in which the organ fails to return to its
natural size, remaining permanently enlarged. When
everything progresses well, this process generally
takes place in six or eight weeks. During this time
the patient should exercise very great care to avoid
exposure of any kind. Getting the feet wet, being
chilled, overexertion of any kind, either mental or
physical, and anything which has a prostrating effect,
will be likely to check the natural retrograde process,

472 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

the prompt and thorough performance of which is
very important. Special care should be taken so
long as the lochial discharge is still present. Care
during this period will often save the patient from
many years of suffering.

Hemorrhage after Labor. — Sometimes the womb
does not contract so firmly as it should after child-
birth, in consequence of which its greatly dilated
blood-vessels remain open, and frightful hemorrhage
is the result. This is also sometimes caused by only
partial separation of the after-birth, the remainder of
the after-birth being attached so firmly that it cannot
be expelled by the contractions of the organ. In
other cases more or less hemorrhage continues for
some time after childbirth in consequence of a lacera-
tion or tear of the neck of the womb.

Treatment : When the hemorrhage is due to par-
tial attachment of the placenta, the after-birth should
be removed as quickly as possible. In order to effect
this, it is sometimes necessary for the physician to
pass his hand into the womb. The necessity for this
measure may almost always be obviated by the em-
ployment of the hot water douche at as high a tem-
perature as can be borne by the patient, and by the
employment of " expression," described on page 452.
When the directions there given are followed out,
hemorrhage after labor will rarely occur.

Where hemorrhage is due to failure of the uterus
to contract, the best remedy known is the hot water
douche and massage or friction over the womb. The
syphon syringe, or some other efficient instrument of
the kind should be in readiness for use in an emergency

THE MOTHEB. 473

of this sort. The water employed should be as hot
as can be used without burning the tissues, or giving
great discomfort to the patient, which will usually be
at a temperature of about 110° to 120° F. These
means combined will seldom fail. Uterine contrac-
tion may also be stimulated by alternate hot and cold
applications to the abdomen over the womb and to
the breast.

Care should be taken by the nurse to examine
the patient frequently after childbirth to see that
there is no unusual hemorrhage.

Inactivity of the Womb. — When labor is delayed
in any of its stages in consequence of failure of the
uterus to contract with sufficient vigor, it is necessary
to adopt means for the purpose of stimulating the
contractions. Among the various simple measures
which may be employed with advantage are the ap-
plication of cold water to the breast and over the
abdomen. Sometimes alternate hot and cold applica-
tions are more effective than cold alone. Sometimes
the inactivity is due to exhaustion, and rest is
needed. In such cases the patient should be allowed
to sleep, if possible, and should be given food. The
most important and effective of all measures is mas-
sage or " expression."

The hot vaginal douche should also be employed,
and farradic electricity may be in some cases used
with advantage. When the last named agent is em-
ployed, the positive pole should be applied to the
back and the negative over the womb.

Retention of the After-birth. — As remarked in
the preceding paragraph, hemorrhage sometimes oc-

474 THE LADIES GUIDE.

curs in consequence of failure of the uterus to con-
tract properly after the child has been born, or in
consequence of an unusually firm attachment of the
placenta to the internal walls of the uterus. When
the uterine contractions suddenly cease after the
child is born, so that the placenta is not expelled, the
remedies suggested for inactivity of the womb should
be applied. In case these are not effective, it be-
comes necessary for the physician to pass two or
more fingers into the womb, and by gradually work-
ing them under the placenta, loosen it and bring it
away. This is a painful procedure, and should not be
resorted to until a very thorough trial of other means
has been made.

Rigidity of the Womb. — In some cases labor is
delayed by a failure of the neck or mouth of the
womb to dilate with sufficient rapidity. This is
sometimes due to an early rupture of the membranes,
in consequence of which the " bag of waters," which
precedes the child as it passes downward, does
not perform its usual and important function of di-
latation. It is also sometimes due to an unnatural
condition of the tissues of the neck of the womb. In
these cases the pains are very severe and acute,
being felt mostly in the sacrum. The patient is
feverish and very restless, the pulse becomes very
frequent, and the patient sutlers great distress. By
internal examination, the os, or mouth, of the womb
is felt like a hard ring.

The best remedies for this condition are the hot
sitz bath, and hot vaginal douche. They may be
continued for several hours if necessary without detr

THE MOTHER 475

riment. Large, hot enemas are also very useful in
this condition. They should be retained as long as
possible.

Rigidity of the Perinceum. — In this condition,
the perinseum, or portion of the tissue between the va-
gina and rectum, does not dilate as it should, but the
central portion bulges forward while the upper edge
remains hare": and unyielding. This is the most fre-
quent cause of rupture of the perinseum. The best
remedies are the hot sitz bath and hot fomentations
to the parts. A very excellent way Of applying
moist heat is by means of a large . sponge dipped in
hot water, and applied as hot as can be borne. The
hot-water douche arid the hot enema are remedies of
very great value. The employment of daily sitz
baths during the later months of pregnancy, and of
daily massage of the part are the most reliable means
of preventing this complication.

After-Pains. — In some cases, contractions of the
uterus continue for a longer or shorter period after
labor is completed. When these contractions are so
severe as to give the patient great discomfort, hot
fomentations should be applied over the abdomen.
The hot vaginal douche is also an excellent means of
relieving after-pains by producing firm contraction of
the womb. Friction over the womb is also a use-
ful measure for these cases by securing thorough
contraction of the uterine muscles.

The Use of Ergot. — This drug, once very, popu-
lar, indeed thought to be almost indispensable in all
cases of childbirth, is now charged by many of the
most eminent obstetricians with being the cause of

476 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

much increase of suffering during childbirth, and se-
rious subsequent disease. It has often been tlie
cause of ruptures of the neck of the womb and of the
perinaeum by producing too rapid labor. If used at
all, it should be only after the delivery of the head,
and it is probable that its use can be dispensed with
in most, if not all, cases, without detriment to any,
and with benefit to many. As elsewhere remarked,
the proper employment of massage and " expression "
obviates the use of ergot even in those cases in which
it has long been considered indispensable.

The Use of Anaesthetics. — The employment of
anaesthetics in childbirth is a practice of very recent
date. When it was first introduced, many fears were
expressed that harm would result to either mother or
child, or both. Some opposed the measure on moral
grounds, claiming that the pains of childbirth were
part of the curse pronounced upon Eve, and that the
use of anaesthetics for the purpose of mitigating the
pain was preventing the execution of the penalty.
Notwithstanding the opposition, however, some form
of anaesthetic, generally chloroform, is now very
largely used, especially in prolonged and unusually
painful labors. If the patient is strong and vigorous,
and the labor is not unusually severe, there is no oc-
casion for the use of the anaesthetic ; but if the con-
trary of this is true, there is no question but that
benefit, as well as comfort, may be derived from the
judicious use of chloroform. It is unnecessary to pro-
duce profound anaesthesia, or to bring the patient
fully under the influence of the drug, and hence there
is little or no danger of immediate injury to the pa-

THE MOTHER 477

tient. Neither have those opposed to the use of
chloroform been able to show that injury results
to the child. It should never be used, however,
without the advice and constant supervision of the
physician. When the proper preparatory treatment
has been carefully employed during pregnancy, there
will be little necessity for an anaesthetic.

Twins. — Twin pregnancy may be suspected when
the mother is unusually large, or when there is a
double appearance of the enlarged abdomen. Twin
birth occurs in proportion of about one to seventy or
eighty single births. The usual unpleasant symptoms
which occur during pregnancy are greatly exagger-
ated in twin pregnancy. Complicated labors are also
somewhat more frequent in twin births. The birth
of the second child generally succeeds that of the
first very quickly, but cases have been observed in
which several hours and even days have elapsed
before the birth of the second child.

Abdominal Pregnancy. — It sometimes happens
that the impregnated ovum finds its way into the ab-
dominal cavity and there undergoes development ;
fortunately, occurrences of this kind are very rare.
In many cases, the foetus becomes surrounded with a
cyst, by means of which it is separated from the rest
of the body, and sometimes may be thus preserved
for years in a degenerated condition. In other cases<
the different portions of the foetus gradually work
out through the bowels, or even through the abdom-
inal wall. In still other cases, decomposition and
suppuration take place, the system becomes infected
with the products of decomposition, and the patient

478 THE LADIES GUIDE.

dies of blood poisoning. Cases have occurred in
which, by the performance of a surgical operation, a
fully developed child has been removed from the ab-
dominal cavity, the lives of both mother and infant
being saved.

Puerperal Fever. — This disease is responsible
for a large number of deaths following confinement,
and a great multitude of chronic, diseased conditions,
by which women who have suffered from it are crij)-
pled and maimed, many times for life. It is now
pretty generally conceded that severe fever following
confinement is usually the result of absorption into
the system of some of the products of the decomposi-
tion taking place in the generative passages. Having
gained access to the blood, the diseased germs multi-
ply in great numbers and soon pervade the whole
system. In addition to the general fever, inflamma-
tions of the womb or its surrounding tissues and the
ovary and other organs are very likely to occur,
leaving adhesions, consolidations, abscesses, indu-
rations, etc.

The best treatment of this disease is prevention.
If the parts are thoroughly washed out two or three
times a day with a disinfectant lotion, by means of a
syphon syringe, the thorough cleansing being kept up
continuously until the lochial discharge has entirely
ceased, there is little chance for the germs of disease
to find an entrance into the system, and puerperal
fever will not be likely to occur. A physician at-
tending one case of the disease will be very likely to
convey it to other patients whom he may visit, unless
he takes great care to disinfect his person and clothing.

THE MOTHEB. 47*>

The fever should be treated on the general principles
which govern the treatment of fever in other diseases.
Such cases as this require the services of a skill-
ful and experienced physician, and the most careful
nursing.

Lacerations of the Womb and Perinoeum. — The
long continuance of a bloody discharge after confine-
ment is ground for suspicion that the neck of the
womb has been torn, and the matter should at once
receive attention.

After every confinement a careful examination
should be made to ascertain whether there has been
a tear of the perinseum or any other serious injury to
the soft parts of the mother. The neglect of this
precaution has- left thousands of women to suffer a
life-time from a long train of painful ailments which
might have been easily prevented by the immediate
performance of an operation to restore the torn parts.
The old adage *• a stitch in time saves nine " is in no
case more applicable than in these.

Phlegmasia Dolens. — Milk-leg. — This painful
complication of parturition usually appears about ten
days after childbirth, being ushered in by chills, head-
ache, mental depression, heaviness in the bowels, gen-
eral uneasiness, feverishness, and a quickened pulse.
These symptoms are speedily followed by pain in
the groin of the affected side, extending down the
limb. Very soon the whole limb becomes hot, swol-
len, white, and shining. The patient is exceedingly
restless and uneasy, and suffers much. There is
complete loss of powTer in the limb. The flesh yields
to the finger, but does not "pit" on pressure. Tho

480 THE LADIES' GUIDE.

swelling usually begins at the body and extends
downward, but sometimes the reverse is the case.

Nothing positive is known respecting the cause of
this disease, except that it is most likely to occur in
debilitated patients, especially those who have suf-
fered from severe hemorrhage. It is probable also
that lacerations of the neck of the womb and of the
perinseum favor the occurrence of the disease by
affording an easy channel for entrance of germs and
septic matter into the system. It has been observed
that the disease is most likely to occur in the left leg,
and that it is more frequent in women who have pre-
viously borne children than in those who are mothers
for the first time. Undoubtedly there is, during the
disease, closure of the veins and lymphatic vessels.

Treatment : At the very beginning of the attack,
the affected limb should be elevated, the calf being
supported by a soft cushion by which it will be ra

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Full text of "Ladies' guide in health and disease : girlhood, maidenhood, wifehood, motherhood ... Illustrated"

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